Stone Tears
by Circe le Fey
Summary: A Sarah\Jareth fic. It's been several years since Sarah went through the Labyrinth, and everything should be back to normal. But at night a white owl watches over her, and by day things just keep getting stranger. Chapter 20 up!
1. Chapter 1

Stone Tears

a Labyrinth Fan Fiction by Circe le Fey

Author's note: Well, here it is, the first chapter of my first fan fiction! I'm intending to write longer chapters in general, but I wanted to get this out quickly, so I decided to make it short, anyway, I'm waiting for reviews! Just so you know, this takes place about two and a half years after the movie, so Sarah is just barely 17. I'm probably going to update in a day or so, I'm about halfway done the next chapter, which is about twice as long as this one, and I just need reviews to finish it. There shouldn't be any errors in this, but if you find any, please let me know, and please, please, review!

Circe le Fey.

Chapter 1. After the Rain

The rain had finally stopped, and where half an hour ago there had been constant crashes of thunder, and flares of lightning, now there was only the steady tap-tap of rain dripping off of the roof. Sarah had been unable to sleep for the whole storm, ever since a night several years ago, rain, especially with thunder and lightning, made her restless and uneasy. And when the storm had finally blown away, as swiftly as it had risen, she had opened her window, allowing the first breeze of the night to penetrate her stuffy room, and had gradually sunk into an tense, unrestful sleep.

She slept light most nights, but tonight she seemed particularly unsettled as a large white owl flew quickly out of the dark clouds, and across the half-full moon, to land silently on a branch outside her wide-open window. Sarah stirred, rolling over and moaning, her fists clenching and unclenching reflexively, but she did not wake. The owl watched her closely, with humanlike eyes that managed to be both tender and predatory. It was the sight of the open window that seemed to throw him off. The owl flapped his wings restlessly, and began to pace the branch with his head low, but his eyes still on the girl. Once or twice he seemed to attempt to leave the branch, and perhaps fly in her window, but each time the owl would pause, cock his head in a manner that was somehow not very owl-like, and then settle back down to continue pacing.

The owl had been making regular appearances at her window since she was about eleven, but after an incident roughly two and a half years ago, the temptation to go to her had gotten stronger, and several more items had been added to the list of reasons why he couldn't. But this open window was a new occurrence, certainly, and made the strain of staying put even harsher. Nevertheless, he remained on the branch, watching Sarah for the rest of the night, as her sleep grew deeper, her breathing more even, and her beautiful face almost peaceful.

The owl spent almost six hours outside Sarah's window, daringly remaining on the branch as the sun rose, and she began to stir, even though he usually considered it too risky. But this morning, he stayed on until he could sense her mind breaking away from the world of dreams, and then just as her eyes flickered open, he was taking flight, a snowy white streak against the more vivid horizon. Sarah Williams gasped and sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: First I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, Natsuko37, Madamoiselle La Lune, helikesitheymikey, Aysuh, notwritten, and Ginabella59, for being my first reviewer ever!

As for this chapter, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. The Labyrinth has a really dreamy, one-of-a-kind sort of mood that I'm trying to re-create, in my own way, but I feel like this chapter may not do the job. Or may over-do it.

Anyway, I haven't got the next chapter written yet, but it should be out on Tuesday or Wednesday, I hope, and at that point we'll be seeing Jareth (as a human, or fey or whatever, not a bird). I'm really not sure where this story is going to end up, but I know that I'm enjoying writing it, and I'm so glad that you are all reading it. There shouldn't be any mistakes, but that's never stopped them before, so please let me know if you find any. And don't forget, review!

Chapter 2. Sarah's Morning

It was a trick of the light, Sarah told herself sternly, or an ordinary owl, nothing more, nothing less. But even the thought of an 'ordinary owl' perched outside her bedroom, when her window was wide open, was enough to unnerve her. And she still didn't know for certain that it was an ordinary owl. "Don't be so paranoid" she told herself, getting resolutely out of bed, and padding over to the window. The sunrise was beautiful, but there was no sign of a big white owl, just lots of doves. Sarah tried to laugh at herself, but it came out nervous, shaky. She'd been on edge ever since the storm the night before. Well, ever since the labyrinth, she reminded herself, but that wasn't something she particularly wanted to remember this morning. Or ever.

Sarah slammed the window shut, much harder than was strictly necessary, and then bit her lip, her parents and little Toby were still asleep. She walked quietly out of her room, and slipped into Toby's bedroom to check on him. Her three and a half year old brother was sleeping soundly, sucking on his thumb, and she gently smoothed his covers before going back into her room to get dressed. The plain fact was that no matter how much she wanted to forget about the labyrinth, it kept popping back into her mind with annoying frequency. And in some ways that was good, she had learned lessons in the labyrinth that she never wanted to forget, she'd written a list of them, only a few days after returning home, it was in her desk somewhere. But it wasn't just the adventure itself that she couldn't seem to move past, there were other things too. The goblin king was definitely first and foremost in that category. She had left the labyrinth with plans, plans to be a better big sister to Toby, to be less of a child, and have more friends ('the value of friends' was one of the items on that list). She had expected that in a few years the labyrinth and all of it's inhabitants, save a certain few, would simply be a surreal memory. But it hadn't quite turned out that way.

During the day she went about her life, studying, spending time with friends, babysitting Toby, writing, drawing, reading, horseback riding, singing, whatever happened to be her favorite hobby at that point in time. But at night songs played through her mind, sad lyrics that she thought she'd forgotten, or she relived conversations that at the time had caused her nothing but trouble, and wandered through landscapes that were riddled with bad memories. Try as she might to forget it, every night the labyrinth caught up with her. Sometimes she wondered if the goblin king, or some of his minions had something to do with that. Maybe one of them was managing to mess with her head, so that she couldn't stop reliving what seemed like such a brief time in the labyrinth. She certainly wasn't doing anything that would warrant this strange connection she felt to it.

She had almost lost touch with her friends after that first night, it was too dangerous for them to keep in touch with her, as they had no idea what Jareth would do when he found out. And they all knew that he would find out. Every couple of months she would turn around and catch a glimpse of one of them waving to her out of her mirror, or sometimes they would even have a moment for a few words. But never more than that. And she did her best not to miss them. She loved them and was eternally grateful to them, but they were quite literally worlds apart, and there was (hopefully) almost no chance of seeing them again. Sarah did all she could to separate herself from those thirteen hours, and yet they kept coming back to her.

Maybe Jareth had something to do with it. Sometimes when she was out late she would catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, something small moving in the bushes, a few dead leaves drifting against the wind, a patch of thin air that somehow did not seem so thin, a whisper that she couldn't quite hear. The uncanny feeling that she was not alone on an empty street. Or she would return home to find something slightly wrong in her room. A trinket or some project of hers just subtly out of place, most frequently the book 'The Labyrinth' somewhere she hadn't left it. Or even more maddeningly, there wouldn't be any physical sign at all, just a feeling, a strong but unplaced feeling that someone or something had been there, a scent on the air that was like coming rain, a smell she couldn't help but remember.

Dwelling on it won't help, she reminded herself sternly, It's all just in your head. Well, hopefully. Fortunately for Sarah she was rummaging through her closet as she went through all that, and she entirely missed the way that a shudder seemed to pass down a small red book lying on top of her bookshelf, as if somewhere inside the volume, something was happening. And the rising glittered off of it, making it glow like a star for one brief instant, before Sarah turned around, and once again it was simply an odd little book that had seen better days. And as she pulled a skirt and top out of the depths of her less-than-neat closet, and vanished down the hall and into the bathroom to shower, she didn't catch a few lonely notes, whispers from a longer song, that drifted through her bedroom, and then were gone as the sun continued to rise.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This is only a half a chapter, to tell you the truth, unfortunately the other half isn't quite done yet, and I wanted to at least post something before all my readers got gray hair. Any way, obviously some things happened, and I really do intend to be updating more frequently, and with longer chapters, now that the summer is really here, and things are really starting to calm down. Actually, I take that back, everytime I say that, about ten things come up. Anyway, the other, longer part (chapter 4) should be out by Tuesday or Wenesday, and I hope to post chapter 5 about a week from now. Anyway, please read and review, and I swear, there will be another update soon. Circe le Fey.

Jareth whistled quietly to himself as he gazed into a small crystal cupped in his palm. He paused, watching with narrowed eyes as Sarah slammed the bathroom door shut. He allowed himself just the faintest smile. Sarah had changed in so many ways since the Labyrinth, but she had never quite grown out of slamming doors. Slamming anything really, and the habit seemed to have gotten worse as she aged. Three years ago she had moved with a sort of tight, fixedly self-conscious walk that was common among teenagers. Now she moved with a sort of reckless, unconscious abandon. She read books as she walked down halls and stairs, and didn't look up from them as she crossed streets and exited buses. No matter what she was doing, she was absorbed in something else. She always had this dreamy, strained look in her eyes, as if she was caught between two worlds, the world of her dreams, her books, drawings and thoughts, and the world that she found herself in, as strange to her as she was to it. She ate, spoke and listened as if half of her was somewhere else, buried away. It was during rare moments during the day- as she slept, or read her favorite books, or practiced on the piano, that her two selves seemed to condense into something larger than life. Mortal life, anyway, Jareth mentally corrected himself.

Over the years he had grown more and more obsessed with catching her in those special moments, when she was truly herself, and while he bided his time, he watched. Through his crystal ball by day, through her window at night, watching, waiting, for his opportunity. And after two and a half years, it still hadn't come. Not quite. Many times he had thought that he was mere seconds away from finally being able to go to her, as her dreams and her thoughts dwelled so often in his land, but for all his presence in her mind, never once did he manage to sway her. Never once did she give him a second of power over her. And so they were both caught halfway. She couldn't quite get the memory of those 13 hours out of her mind, get her mind out of the labyrinth, and his heart lived a world away, someplace where it was a rare occurrence for him to be viewing her properly, and not through glass.

Seated in his throne room, the picture of despairing elegance, the Goblin King sat up, and hurled the crystal against the wall. It didn't crack, merely disappeared, to reform in his hand a moment later.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'm sorry if there are any errors in this, I'm writing it at what is a very late time for me. If you find any though, let me know. Anyway, I finally have a real idea of where I want this story to go, and the next chapter should be up shortly. Also, a note I forgot to add, about Jareth, for my own preferences, I'm making him appear about twenty years younger than he does in the movie, just so you know. Anyway, thank you sooo much to my reviewers, I am so happy when I get reviews it is positively shameful. Anyway, I hope you like this, please read and review-

Circe le Fey.

Chapter 4

Every weekend Sarah spent her mornings, and sometimes even a few hours in the evenings, looking after two small children of a co-worker of her father's. The Labyrinth had rather changed her opinion about babies, or had at least changed their opinion of her. Something about the very otherworldliness that had struck Jareth also gave her a way with babies. Sarah had a few close friends at school, but still hadn't developed much of a dating life. She would hang out and flirt with boys at school, but she'd only had a few boyfriends, none of which she'd ever felt, well, very alive around. She could talk to them, laugh with them, but nothing about them stirred her imagination, made her think of them long after she had gone home, caused her to dream of them. . . None of them had lasted long.

So, on the whole she enjoyed her calm mornings with Jessica and Chase Evans. She usually biked over, with her dog Merlin, right after breakfast, and then stayed until an hour or so after noon. She got an early start this morning, and was on the road at seven thirty, her hair streaming behind her as she pedaled down the sidewalk, and then swerved between cars. She wasn't usually quite this reckless, but the morning ride, whether to school or the Evans' had always served as a way to clear her head, and the more there was to clear, the faster she pedaled, as if the faster she rode, the longer it would take the thoughts to return when she stopped.

Fortunately there wasn't much chance of mysterious owls or wild mazes absorbing her too much, this morning the Evans' house was not quite as placidly pleasant as usual. Their well-groomed yard, inhabited only by a tire swing and the family cat, had just been invaded by two extra hyper collie dogs, who appeared to have cornered some small animal-probably the cat, under the porch, and were barking viciously. The sight sent Merlin into a frenzy, and in his haste to get to the trespassers, he cut in front of Sarah's bike and knocked it over.

Sarah was just picking herself up off the ground, and wondering if wiping blood off of her hand would stain her orange skirt, when Jessica Evans ran out into the yard. "Sarah!" she screeched, and then "Merlin!" as the dog nearly upended her as well in his haste. Forgetting about her hand, Sarah hopped the short fence that surrounded the Evans' yard, watching the four year old anxiously. Jessica was fine, but Merlin was now lost to her sight as the two dogs leapt all over him, whether because they were thrilled to be meeting a new canine, or because he looked like a good meal, was not quite clear.

"Maxwell! Zephyr! Is that the cat? Merlin! Sarah" the screen door to the Evans' kitchen banged as Lanie Evans, mother to Jessica and Chase emerged, a baby bottle in her hand, and her eyes wide. "Oh dear Sarah, I'm afraid I entirely forgot about Merlin. Jason!" Mr. Evans came out from behind her, and between he and Sarah, they managed to drag the two dogs off of Merlin, who looked rather the worse for wear, though not truly damaged. Mr. Evans marched off towards the backyard, dragging the dogs with him, and Mrs. Evans shook her head as the gate clicked.

"Oh, Sarah, you cut yourself" she said, as Sarah wheeled her bike inside the gate. "It's nothing" Sarah pulled her hair out of her face with her bleeding hand, ignoring the sting. "Who do the dogs belong to?" she asked. Mrs. Evans rolled her eyes, "my husband's aunt has come to visit, they belong to her" she nodded towards a slim, still figure, that Sarah hadn't noticed until then. The old woman was seated in profile in a lawn chair on the porch, the only part of her that moved were strands of her white hair, floating dreamily on the breeze. Something about the sight made just the faintest shiver run through Sarah, filled her with an emotion that she could not quite place.

Wondering to herself how a woman so small and frail could possibly manage dogs like the two that had just roughed up Merlin, Sarah glanced up at Mrs. Evans. "Is she all right?" she asked, and Mrs. Evans sighed, "she's. . . well, she's herself. You might take a little while to get used to her, it's all right, she is a rather. . . strange woman. Always was, and she's gotten worse in her old age, I'm afraid". The tone in her voice had Sarah rather taken aback for a moment, she'd long been accustomed to people using that tone while talking about her, and hearing it in reference to some one else was startling.

"Anyway" Mrs. Evans tested the temperature of the bottle briskly. "Jessica's eaten, and I've just heated this up for Chase, Jason and I have to leave right away I'm afraid, but I don't think we'll need you much past two today, and we'll pay you as soon as we get back." She handed the bottle to Sarah, and rummaged through her purse. "Just keep Merlin in the front yard, and those two in the back, and everything will be fine- how are your parents?" she pulled forth a slip of paper, and unfolded it. "Dad's fine, Irene's fine-"And your little brother?" Mrs. Evans handed her the paper, "Toby's fine- I've already got your phone number written down" Sarah frowned at the paper. Mrs. Evans smiled at her, "that's Jason's, in case I don't answer, I want to be particularly careful with Aunt Anna staying with us, you know old people- they're always having some little problem, so just in case-" she closed Sarah's hand around the paper.

"Jason! We have to go!" Mrs. Evans unlocked the car door, and slipped into the driver's seat, she always drove. She shut the door and rolled down the window "Jason! Not that I want you to feel like you have to watch Aunt Anne as well. Just keep an eye on the dogs, make sure they don't get out, and make sure she doesn't fall or pass out, or any of that sort of thing, you know dear." Mrs. Evans smiled pleasantly "Yes" Sarah said vaguely. "But have you told her about me? I mean, maybe you should introduce me first or something-" "Jason! Oh, no, I'm sure that's not necessary" Mrs. Evans said, waving her husband over, as he returned, minus the dogs. "Hello Sarah" he said, "Bye Jess!" Jessica was attempting to coax the cat out from under the porch, and didn't hear them. Aunt Anne still hadn't turned towards them, or given any sign that she was even aware they existed.

"Is she all right though?" she asked, as Mr. Evans got in the car as well. "Oh, she's fine dear, just fine. You just go on over and introduce yourself, and mind you feed Chase. Call us if there's any trouble!" that last bit was shouted as she backed down the driveway, and rolled the windows up. Sarah sighed as they drove away, it was one thing to spend a Saturday baby sitting two children. It was entirely another to be the charge of not only the two children, but also two mad dogs, and an old lady that was very possibly even crazier.

And still the woman didn't turn around, as a long breeze swirled fallen leaves in the drive way, and blew Sarah's thick dark hair back from her face. She simply stared ahead, at a world only she could see.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hey! Sorry it's another short one, but the next one should be out by the weekend, provided you people _review_!

And a big thanks to those who have so far, if it weren't for you, this story would still be only a chapter long.

Also, could anyone who's seen the movie lately let me know what color Jareth's eyes are, it's really annoying, but I can't remember.

Anyway, I hope this little thing turned out alright, and please read and review!!

Circe le Fey

Chapter 5. The Encounter

Sarah climbed the porch steps slowly, feeling strangely nervous. The woman still didn't turn around, even as the boards creaked under Sarah's feet. "Um, Ms.-" What had the Evans' said her name was? Anne, Aunt Anne. "Anne?" at first she thought that the woman hadn't heard her. And then, slowly, the woman turned in her rocking chair, and looked Sarah in the eyes. She had green eyes, bright green eyes, vital against the rest of her pale skin and paler hair. It was the eyes that finally told Sarah what had struck her so, the very first time she caught sight of the woman. Recognition. Something about the woman reminded her of someone. She couldn't figure out who, but it hovered, just on the edge of her subconscious, as she approached the woman.

Anne still wasn't saying anything, just watching Sarah, a strange expression on her face. "I'm Sarah Williams, Jessica and Chase's babysitter" Anne, who's eyes had been fixed on Sarah as she spoke, leaned back suddenly, a shine of something like alarm in her eyes. "Don't get any closer" she said, in a raspy, wary voice. Sarah stopped abruptly. She's just a crazy old woman, she told herself, no reason to be offended. "Right" she backed up a couple feet. The woman was still watching her, her face was as serene as if she were sleeping, or dead, but her eyes held traces of what was almost panic, and she was watching Sarah as if she expected her to suddenly lunge for her throat. "The baby's crying" she said, her tone still unfriendly. Sarah cocked her head, and could hear a thin wail from inside the house, "right" she said again, backing slowly up, and then slipping quickly inside the screen door.

It wasn't until she was in the living room, rocking Chase, that she turned towards the window, looking back out at where Anne sat in the shade, exactly the same as before Sarah had approached her. Sarah glanced at Jessica, who was still trying to get the cat out, while Merlin panted tiredly from the other side of the yard, and then looked at her watch. Roughly four hours to go. Sarah sighed and switched Chase to her other arm, and as she sat down in the Evans' living room, all she could think about was Anne. Who did she remind Sarah of? What had given her that otherworldly look? Who was this woman?


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hey! Sorry it took longer than I expected, but I posted a one-shot the other day, and that's why. Anyway, thanks a ton to all who reviewed, and to those who answered the question about Jareth's eyes. Anyway, the next chapter should be out in a bit, but I'm hoping to reach 30 reviews first, so it might take longer if that doesn't happen.

Oh, and one more question, Sarah's eyes are green, right? Anyway, read, enjoy, and review!

Chapter 6.

The day turned out to be sunny and drowsy. Chase slept soundly, Jessica played quietly by herself, and Merlin and the cat dozed in the front yard. Even Anne's maniac dogs actually lay down, and contented themselves with barking lazily at squirrels. Despite the calm atmosphere, however, Sarah felt very edgy. Seeing the Evans' had managed to drive the owl and the storm out of her mind by replacing it with something that had the potential to be even more disturbing. Something about Anne just felt off, not right, and then on top of it, Sarah still couldn't place who it was the woman reminded her of.

As 2:00 approached, Sarah tried to distract herself with thoughts of what she would do once she was done. Call her friend Pat maybe, and see if she wanted to go out to a café or bookstore or something. These plans came abruptly to an end when Irene called. It took her a moment to place the sound of her cell phone ringing, at first the dreamy ring tone sounded like something else altogether, and she tensed, but then she felt her bag vibrating, and pulled out her cell phone, and flipped it open, very relieved.

"Sarah?" "Irene?" Sarah was worried again. Once and a while her step-mom would have Sarah's father call to make sure that she was alright, but she rarely called herself. "Is everything all right?" There was a pause. "Well, they could be worse, I just got a call from your father, he says that he has a meeting that we need to go to this evening" "we?" Sarah was definitely not in the mood for one of her father's work party\meetings. "Just your father and I, right after dinner, but I wanted to check with you because you'll need to watch your brother". Sarah winced. She loved spending time with Toby, but she had just spent the entire morning with two young children, and she wanted to go out with some friends, or alone. Sometimes Toby was more of a reminder of the labyrinth than a distraction from it.

But the truth was that Irene was not really asking, she was telling, and Sarah didn't feel like getting into it with her. Before the labyrinth Sarah had taken up with Irene on every little thing, but after really fighting for something, she had learned to choose her battles carefully. "What time?" she asked wearily. "From about six until ten, alright? I'll bathe him before we go" "right" said Sarah. "Sure. Is that all?" "Yes. Good bye" "'bye" Sarah said, rubbing her face and sighing as the flipped her phone shut, and put it away.

It was another half an hour until the Evans' returned, and Anne was still on the same spot on the porch that she had been when they left. Sarah had meant to try to find out a little about her, if she could, from Mrs. Evans, but she was truly tired by then, and wanted to ride home before it got any hotter or any later. So the minute that they stepped in the door, Sarah gratefully handed over Chase, pocketed her money, and jumped hurriedly down the porch steps, not even looking in Anne's direction as she did so. It wasn't until she was wheeling her bike down the driveway, and the old woman's dogs began barking and her, and Merlin, that she turned back to look at Anne. The woman was leaning forwards in her rocking chair, watching her with an tense, frightened expression, her eyes fixed on the side of Sarah's face. Sarah couldn't help but catch the woman's eyes for a brief moment, and in that second, she felt the strangest feeling stir in her. For the barest moment she was back in the labyrinth, with it's vivid sky, and wild inhabitants, and every part of her felt alive. And then she was back on the asphalt of Aspen Street, swinging her leg over her bike, and taking off down the street, so fast that Merlin had to run to keep up.

At home Irene was engaging in one of her favorite pastimes, redecorating. Today her project was Toby's bedroom, which she had just determined was too young for him. He was three now, and needed a more mature theme. To achieve this she had spent the morning buying him a tiny desk, and several small bookshelves, only to realize that the number of books Toby actually had could fit in about one tenth of the space that she had allotted for them. So she had gone up into Sarah's bedroom, accompanied by Toby, to search for some books that might be suitable, both for Toby and for his new bookshelves.

They were just coming down the stairs, with several choice volumes, when Sarah returned home. She was so preoccupied that she was almost to her bedroom when it actually registered with her, and when it did, she turned and ran all of the way back downstairs, to the kitchen, where Irene was sorting through them while Toby had a snack.

"Could I just have a look at those?" Sarah said, as nonchalantly as she could, considering that she had just run wildly into the room. Irene gave her a look, but put down the three or four books on the kitchen table. "I made sure to choose books that you wouldn't be interested in any more, at your age, Sarah" she sniffed. Sarah anxiously scanned the titles, of those books, and several others that were on the table. No Labyrinth. "Yes, I know" she said, "but some of them were my mom's, and I don't really want Toby spilling juice on them" she said, trying to explain away her erratic behavior. It was a plausible excuse, largely because Sarah had always been so touchy where her mother was concerned. Irene nodded, "but none of these were hers" Sarah finished, taking a cup out of the cupboard, to make tea. Irene sniffed again, though it was not a disbelieving sniff, and stacked all of the books neatly. "Yes, well, if you have any special books you don't want to give to your brother, I suggest you put them in your closet, or some where else, so I will know". Sarah refrained from answering that Irene had no right to be going through her books without asking, and contented herself with heating her water in the microwave.

She hated how Irene was making it sound like she was being selfish, denying her brother any books. It's for your own good, Sarah thought to herself, all our good, unless of course you would like us all to get wished into the labyrinth, with only a three year old to get us out. Not that the Goblin King would be able to do much to you, seeing as you're already a goblin at heart. She smiled to herself.

"You should do that Sarah" "hmm?" Sarah responded. Irene rolled her eyes, " I said, 'you should do that'" she answered, enunciating as if she were speaking to Toby. Sarah sighed, "I will" she said, "I will". The trouble was that the Labyrinth flatly refused to stay where it was put, always returning to the exact same spot on the exact same shelf in her room. The book was much like the world it was about in that respect, it truly had a mind of it's own. Or maybe it wasn't that it had it's own mind, but that they were both connected to the Goblin King.

While waiting for her tea to brew, Sarah went back up to her room, to get the book anyway. It wouldn't stay in any hiding spot she found for it long, but so long as Irene was raiding her bedroom, she would just have to keep hiding it. But when she arrived in her bedroom, and glanced to it's usual shelf, it wasn't there. Her heart nearly stopped as she glanced quickly around the room, hoping that it had just found a new place to stay. But the small red book was no where in sight. Sarah stood stock still in the middle of her room for a moment, and then took off back downstairs.

She was so preoccupied as she ran back to the kitchen, that she didn't hear the ripple of ghostly goblin laughter that echoed around her room.

Author's Note: Review! Review! Review! Or chapter 7 will remain forever entombed within my mom's laptop.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Well, here it is, sorry it's a shorty, but I only got 27 reviews, tsk tsk tsk. Anyway, yesterday I posted my second one-shot about Sarah, before the movie, if you're at all interested at what Sarah was like before all of this, you might like them. The new one is called King of Dreams. It shouldn't take me too long to post this next chapter, if you guys review, it should be out by Monday.

So REVIEW!!

Circe le Fey

Chapter 7. Toby

Jareth watched with amusement as Sarah raced down the stairs, entirely missing the pair of small eyes that followed her from behind her little brother's bedroom door. Irene had not laid eyes on the Labyrinth, but Toby had. The little boy hadn't seen the book since he was just an infant, before he had been stolen, and in the Goblin King's view, his response to seeing it after so long had been most interesting indeed. Before seeing that, Jareth would have assumed that Toby was too young throughout his experience in the labyrinth, for it to have had much of an effect on him. But the magic of the labyrinth worked in strange ways, and now Jareth was beginning to think that Toby's age might help him. The young have such impressionable minds, he mused, twirling the crystal on a single finger, before peering back into it.

Sarah was just finishing a brief and intense dialogue with her step mother, and was now glancing around, a rather wild look in her green eyes. She was looking for Toby, Jareth knew, and with a smile he changed the view in his crystal to the little boy's room. Toby was lying on his stomach on his bed, staring at the red leather cover of the Labyrinth, completely entranced, and even Jareth, who honestly wasn't all that familiar with the average mortal, knew that he was acting strangely. This was the part of Toby that had been exposed to the power of the labyrinth, the part of him that was Sarah. And if Toby was as receptive to the Labyrinth as Sarah had been as a child, well then. . . That was just brilliant. In fact, Toby could be very, very useful.

Jareth's eyes narrowed to almost feral slits as he watched Toby watch the labyrinth, and he quietly hummed a few notes of a song. Toby's eyes flicked over the cover slightly, but the words didn't appear to affect him. But the song was from the goblin ball. Toby hadn't heard that song. With the faintest smile, Jareth switched tunes, his smile broadening to a grin when Toby's eyes widened, and the little boy leaned closer to the book, as if someone had called his name, and slowly, without him even being aware of it, he mouthed the words, "dance, magic dance," "Toby!" Jareth's smile faltered ever so slightly as Sarah came in, took in the sight of her brother and the book with her lips parted, with a mixture of panic and fascination, and then in one swift motion grabbed it away from him.

She paused as she straightened up, staring at Toby as if trying to think of a way to explain, but then seemed to give up, and whirled and left the room, holding the book against her chest, her arms crossed over it, as if trying to keep it from her brother's sight. Never the less, Toby's eyes followed the book, as Sarah vanished from view.

Jareth's smile returned full force. Whether Sarah knew it or not, her brother was by far her greatest weakness. She loved her father, her absent mother, and even her step mother, but Toby possessed her heart, and if that was what Jareth wanted, then Toby was the way to gain it. The little boy had already brought Sarah to the labyrinth once, and now, with a vastly more developed mind, that was still usefully pliable and open to suggestions, unlike Sarah's, he could do it again.

In his moment of glee, the goblin king either forgot, or chose to ignore, the fact that even Toby had been unable to keep Sarah in the labyrinth, and whoever or whatever possessed Sarah's heart, ultimately she made her own choice.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Yay! what a lot of reviews. Here you are then, I hope you like this chapter. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, but at least it is longer. I've been trying to get a couple chapters ahead, because starting about a week from now, my summer is going to get very chaotic very fast, and I'm not sure how frequently I'll be writing. I already have chapter 9 written, and chapter 10 is almost finished, so review and the update should be very quick!

Let me know if there are any mistakes, enjoy, and review!

Circe le Fey

"Damn it!" Sarah eyed her new blister, and then attempted to continue sliding her heavy trunk on top of the floor board that she had just pried loose and stuffed the Labyrinth under, along with all of the insulation. If her suspicions concerning how the book got from one place to another were correct, and it didn't actually move itself but instead had help from the goblins, then she figured it would probably take about ten of them to lift this trunk. And hopefully one of them would loose a couple toes, or even a finger or so in the process. Sarah's thoughts concerning the Goblin King and his smelly subjects had grown increasingly blood thirsty since she had found her brother virtually hypnotized by the book. And now all she could think about was the long, dark evening alone together that stretched out ahead of them. At least there wasn't a storm forecasted, but still, Sarah couldn't help but feel shaky.

"Sarah! Dinner!" With a curse Sarah set the trunk down , hastily opened it and piled a few heavy objects inside, and then put down the lid, and limped downstairs, looking back every few steps to see if she was leaving any digits behind her. "Are you stiff dear?" inquired her father as she crept into the kitchen and sat down gingerly. "No" Sarah said, and then dropped her fork as she caught sight of Toby, who was gazing out of the window, with an expression of longing, so out of place on a three-year-old's face, that Sarah couldn't take her eyes off of him. Toby had always been just a little bit unusual since the labyrinth, learning unusual words faster than any one else in his preschool class, catching on to things that any other child his age would have completely missed, and sometimes intently watching things that weren't there. But never had his labyrinth side come out as clearly as it was now. Sarah's eyes darted from Toby to her father and Irene, wondering why on earth they didn't appear to have noticed, but Irene was calmly discussing the evening news with Robert while he ladled them both some more spaghetti. Sarah glanced back at her brother, who was still staring out of the window, his blue eyes shockingly deep and intense, and abruptly lost her appetite. She could not spend even a few hours alone in the house, with only Toby. Not tonight. Sarah jumped as the phone rang. "I'll get it" she said quickly, leaping up and reaching for the phone.

"Hello?" she was surprised that her voice came out as steadily as it did. "Sarah?" the voice was warmly familiar. It was Patricia Montero, one of Sarah's best friends. "Pat!" Sarah sighed with relief, a normal person. "Hey, where were you today, I was expecting you to give me a call, I thought you were thinking about going out or something?" "Yes, I was" said Sarah, and then stopped as an idea occurred to her, and she gripped the phone, "listen, Pat, do you think your mom would mind if Toby and I slept over tonight? I'm babysitting him, and I really don't want to be home alone tonight" there was a pause on the other line, and then, "well, yeah, I guess mom wouldn't mind, did Irene say that was alright though?" "hang on, I haven't asked yet". Sarah went to put the phone down, but on second thought brought it with her knowing that Irene was less likely to be disagreeable if she thought that there was some one on the line that could hear her.

She and Toby had slept over a few times before at Pat's, and Pat had spent multiple nights, multiple times at their house, so Irene knew her very well. And generally whatever qualms she might have about the arrangement were weightless against the novelty of having a night with the house and Sarah's father to herself. "I suppose so Sarah" she said, eyeing the phone disapprovingly nonetheless, "though this is a bit sudden, are you sure that Patricia's mother won't mind?" Right, and it wasn't sudden for you to spring baby-sitting Toby on me a few hours ago? Sarah thought, but instead she flashed Irene a smile, and stepped around the corner into the living room. "Oh no, Pat's mom doesn't care a bit" she said, before whispering to Patricia, "she doesn't mind, right?" "Right" Pat said. "Great, I'll have Dad and Irene drop us off, with Merlin ,we should be there in about an hour, okay?" "Yes, sure. Sarah, what's wrong?" Sarah sighed. That was so typical, her father and Irene still hadn't caught on that anything was different, and after a half a phone conversation, Pat knew perfectly well that something was off. "Nothing, everything's great" Sarah said, as she moved further into the dark living room, groping for the light switch. And then in a lower voice, "I'll get into it later, all right?" "right" Pat answered, and Sarah knew it was killing her to wait.

She hung up a moment later, and forgoing the rest of dinner, ran upstairs to get together an overnight bag for Toby and herself, flipping on the light switches as she went, and leaving them on, a trail of lights to get her back down to the kitchen, and finally, out of the house. Her cheerful mood slipped slightly, as she entered her room to find the trunk about halfway off of the floor board. "damn goblins" she muttered, heaving the trunk back in place, and then glancing around her room, deciding what to bring. She wanted to be quick, she couldn't afford to give Irene or her father any excuse to change their minds.

They seemed rather surprised about her urgency, but characteristically, neither of them chose to bring it up, and as Sarah's father clipped his seatbelt on, and turned the key in the engine, Sarah felt a quick surge of triumph. She and Toby might not be completely safe from the Goblin King at Pat's, but something about it felt much safer, much further from the dizzying world of the labyrinth, and it's crazy inhabitants.

Patricia was waiting for them on the lit screen porch, already in her pajamas and bathrobe, her curly brown hair pulled back in a very short pony-tail, and it was one of the rare times when she didn't have on any eye make-up, to darken and elongate her short, thick lashes. Her round face was adorable, and almost innocently baby-like, if it weren't for the way she was eying Sarah, as if she was counting the minutes until Irene and Robert would leave and she could coerce or force Sarah into spilling whatever was up.

Sarah had never gotten into the details of the labyrinth with her friend. She still wasn't sure whether it was because she was worried about how Pat would react, or because she just wanted the labyrinth to stay as buried as it could, considering that she had the book floating around her room. All Sarah had told Pat was that a couple months before they had become friends, Sarah had a run-in with a guy, about ten (hundred) years older than her, and Toby had been vaguely involved. Pat was a naturally curious person, as inquisitive as she was high-spirited, and when Sarah had told her that little bit, she had been expecting a barrage of questions. But something about the expression on Sarah's face, the look in her eyes, had stopped Pat from pressing her (much).

But the minute that she and Sarah were alone in the kitchen, while Toby waved goodbye to his parents from the family room window, Pat pounced. "Later is now, and you said you'd 'get into it'" she announced quietly, as Sarah carefully chose a seat at the table that she could see Toby from. Sarah rolled her eyes, "listen, Pat-" "I'm listening!" Patricia said quickly, leaning eagerly across the table. Sarah sighed, glanced at Toby, who was rummaging through the bag she had packed for him, and then glanced down the hall to make sure that Pat's mother wasn't nearby. "You remember what I told you about that guy?" she said, "The one from when you were fifteen?" Pat said quickly, lowering her voice even further, "is he back?". Sarah shook her head, "I'm not sure, but there's been a lot of stuff going on lately, and I have a feeling he might be watching me". Pats' eyes widened, "are you sure?" "No, but I have a feeling, and I'd rather not stay home alone with Toby, that's where I was the night that he-" "met you?" "Showed up in my father's bedroom" Sarah finished over her friend's interruption. Pat shook her head, "wow. What are you going to do? I thought you said that you were so sure he wouldn't be back". "I was" Sarah said, gazing out the window, "I really was."

"Sarah?" that was Toby, dragging a stuffed animal behind him, "could I have something to drink?" Sarah looked at Pat, sending her a look that they would finish the conversation later. Pat nodded, and turned to Toby, "sure sweetie, I'll get you some chocolate milk, we can watch TV for a few hours or something, I don't think your sister feels like going to bed yet". Sarah nodded over her brother's head, relieved.

They watched a long, dramatic romance, and wound up either laughing or crying hysterically through all but the last five minutes, by which point they had all fallen asleep. It was close to midnight when they finally pulled themselves up, cleared away the popcorn bags and chocolate wrappers, and then stumbled up to bed. "Dad and Irene are home and asleep by now" Sarah thought drowsily, as she pulled down the shades in the room that she and Toby were sharing with Pat.

But the moment that she lay down next to her friend, her eyes opened wide, and every nerve in her body tensed. At first she couldn't figure out what had so forcibly brought back her fears from earlier, but then she heard something, coming from the mat on the floor where Toby was sleeping, his hands curled around the bag where she kept her clothes. And in the moonlight, Sarah could have sworn that she saw a small shadow scuttle along the ground, pause by her sleeping brother, and then vanish, like a series of ripples, in the moonlight.

It took her several long moments of looking around the room to calm herself down, to make any headway at all on convincing herself that it was just her imagination. And then, just as she had closed her eyes, a second noise reached her ears. One far lower, far sweeter, and far, far more menacing than the patter of goblin feet.

Sarah stood up, her long white tee-shirt glowing as she slowly crept over to the sleeping form of her brother. She was leaning over him before she could tell that his lips were moving, and that it was definitely him, and not the Goblin King himself, who was humming. "Dance, magic dance" Toby mouthed. And all through the night, Sarah dreamt of the labyrinth, and the one who ruled over it, who waited for her.

Review! Review! Review! Review!

Circe le Fey


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the reviews! We're not going to have much Jareth\Sarah interaction for a little bit yet, I don't think, (my stories really do write themselves, I'm just along for the ride), but we will have quite a bit of Anne, for those who like her. Don't worry about Sarah, she's a tough one and she can handle a lot more than even she realizes! I've got chapters 10-12 written, and as soon as I have finished chapter 13, I'll post the next chapter. I still haven't actually written the next one-shot, but I should have it out by the weekend.

Please review, it'll speed up my writing a lot, and make me more likely to write at all when things get slightly more interesting than usual in the weeks to come.

Circe le Fey

Chapter 9. Double Dose

Sarah awoke from what had to be the least refreshing sleep of her entire life, to the sound of her brother singing. The first panicked moment after she found herself blinking wildly in the sunlight, she was convinced that it was that song that she'd heard from the castle again, but after a moment, she recognized it as Baa baa black sheep, and with a groan, rolled out of bed. She felt terrible, almost hung-over, the way she often felt after a particularly intense evening, but last night had left all previous stressful nights behind. It was almost like a sort of jet-lag she got when she thought, or dreamt about the Labyrinth too much, which had certainly been the case last night.

Pat was still asleep, her curls spread out on the pillow, and her nose-ring glinting in the morning sunlight, which faded as Sarah pulled the blinds back down. She didn't know how her friend could possibly sleep, Pat's mother, who was a professional singer, had just joined Toby in a boisterous second rendition of the same song, and the sound was deafening, probably her revenge for having the TV on until midnight last night. In her current state Sarah couldn't even remember what they had been watching.

She took a cold shower, and several Motrin to help with the headache she developed shortly thereafter, threw on a pair of short shorts and a halter top, and sunglasses, and then wobbled down to the breakfast table. Patricia was still asleep, and her mother took in the sight of Sarah with raised eyebrows. "If you girls want to do something, could you at least wait until your little brother isn't in the house?" she said bluntly. Sarah started to roll her eyes, but stopped as it was too painful. "God, do I really look that bad?" she groaned, "And I'm not on anything, I swear" Ms. Montero snorted mightily, but declined comment, scraping a generous portion of eggs on to Sarah's plate.

Sarah ate as much as she could, in between brushing her hair, and trying to get her eyes used to the sunlight, so that she would look better when her father came to pick her up, but she was extremely jumpy, and couldn't take her eyes off Toby for more than a few minutes. She wasn't sure what the goblin king was up to now, but she knew that it was definitely not good.

When her father finally came for her, she was in the bathroom, borrowing some of Patricia's eye make up. She generally stayed away from the stuff, hating the greasy, caked-on feel, and not seeing much use for it anyway, but unless she wanted her father to think she'd been on something, or drinking, she needed to give her pale, tired face a bit of color. "Sarah" Mrs. Montero called, "your father is here" "coming!" Sarah called back, pinching her face to give it a natural flush, and then hurrying downstairs before it could fade. Her father already had Toby in one hand, and their bags in the other, and Sarah thanked Mrs. Montero, and then briskly walked out to the car with her father, Merlin and Toby, slipping her sunglasses back on as the full force of the sunlight seared her eyes. It occurred to her that she hadn't said goodbye to Pat, but her friend had never liked being woken up before she was ready, and now that it was light out, Sarah was eager to get home. Any way, she had barely managed to avoid a more detailed explanation for her strange behavior the night before, and if she woke Pat up, her friend was bound to quiz her, or at least extract a promise for lunch the next day or something. Still, she felt a little bad about leaving without saying goodbye, as she clipped her seatbelt on, and her father pulled out of the Montero's driveway.

She was eagerly looking forward to getting herself a cup of tea, and going back to sleep, when her father's cell phone rang. "Hello? Irene, what's wrong? Sarah did what? The Evans' . . . Oh, my. I can't imagine she forgot. Well, maybe she did. Really, she hasn't done this sort of thing for a few years, yes, I suppose I'll just take her over". It was proof of how tired Sarah felt that it took her until her father had put his cell phone away to work out what must have happened. She was supposed to baby-sit Jessica and Chase again today! Mentally she smacked herself. Damn, what a double dose, not only did she have to go baby-sit, but there was also that creepy Aunt Anne to consider.

"Sarah, did you forget all about the Evans'? I thought you were past this phase" "so did I" Sarah grumbled, hitting her head against the car window, and letting it rest on the ledge, wondering if it would be possible for her to get a couple minutes of sleep on the car ride over. Damn that Goblin King and his stupid Labyrinth, Sarah thought viciously, I wish that I had never picked up the book at all. And she was so exhausted that she almost believed herself.

Let me know if you find any errors, and REVIEW!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, sorry everyone for the long wait. My little brother had surgery and we've been out of town twice. Anyway, while I haven't been able to post, I have written, and just yesterday I finished chapter 15. It's nice because now I actually know what's going to happen next, instead of being just as curious as my readers. Anyway, please let me know what you think, if you find any errors, and your opinion on whether you think the story is moving to slowly or not. I don't want to rush things, but I also don't want to bore anyone.

Also, keep an eye out for my newest one-shot, High Queen, it takes place like eight months before the movie, and I think it's going to be my last pre-movie one-shot. And if you like National Treasure, I've also just started a fic for that, it should be posted soon.

A special note to Natsuko37: I just finished watching all of the Anne of Green Gables movies not too long ago. I love her! Sadly, this Anne doesn't resemble her very much, I can't imagine Anne Shirley every being traumatized or unfriendly, but, they're both sort of. . . unique, anyway. I also really like Gilbert Blythe, though for a very different reason. . .

One last thing to everyone, right now this story is under the categories, general\romance, but now that I know more about it, I'd like to change general to something more specific. If you have another category that you think would be fitting, let me know.

Anyway, read and review everyone, I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think!

Circe le Fey.

When Sarah arrived at the Evans', Mrs. Evans was waiting impatiently on the porch, all dolled up for some formal occasion. She was the only one on the porch. Sarah dropped a quick kiss on her brother's blond head, and pulled herself out of the car, dragging her sleep-over bag with her, so she could change her clothes, and clean herself up even further. She nodded to her father, who waved apologetically to Mrs. Evans, and then backed back down the driveway. "I'm sorry" Sarah called, "I'm terribly sorry, I was up late babysitting my little brother last night, and-" "that's all right Sarah" Mrs. Evans said, looking less than pleased nonetheless. "Our phone numbers are on the fridge, we're not sure how long we'll be yet, but we'll call you when we're certain. Chase is already down for his morning nap, he had a good breakfast, and Jessica is watching cartoons. The dogs are in the back, they should be fine, your father took Merlin home with him, right?" Sarah nodded mechanically, rubbing her forehead. She really felt terrible.

Mrs. Evans seemed to see that, and did a bit of a double take, as she went to keep talking, "and- oh, my Sarah, are you feeling all right? You don't look so well" I don't feel so well, Sarah thought, but she just nodded. "I'm all right, I just didn't get enough sleep last night" Mrs. Evans raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure you'll manage?" Sarah nodded, "I'll do just fine" she said, shading her eyes and glancing around. "Where is-" "Aunt Anne? She's upstairs. I'm afraid she was not very well at all after you left last week, I don't know what happened, but she looked as pale as could be, and she didn't eat a bit. She has barely left her bed this morning. I hate to leave her in this condition, especially since you look nearly as bad, but I'm afraid that we have very, very important plans for today." "No problem" Sarah made a brave attempt at a smile, but the news about Aunt Anne was the last straw.

The Evans' left in a hurry after that, and soon Sarah was busy with Chase, who happened to choose that particular morning to be extremely fussy. "What's wrong with every body today? Huh, little buddy?" Sarah whispered, rocking the screaming baby, and shutting her eyes at the same time. She opened them quickly as she heard steps too big for Jessica on the stairs. "Anne?" she said, as the small woman drifted into the kitchen, moving like a ghost. "Are you all rig-" her voice faltered as she caught sight of the woman's face. Obviously no one had told Aunt Anne that she was not very well. She had an expression on her face like a (very old lady) Viking about to do battle, and as she came down and took a seat at the kitchen table, she appeared to be facing off with an enemy. She was sitting across from Sarah. "I'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling well" Sarah said hesitantly. The old woman shrugged.

"Is there anything I could get for you?" Sarah asked, after another moment of silence. Anne paused, and then cleared her throat. "A little water would be nice" she said, her voice low. Sarah nodded, and then put Chase down in his little rocking cradle, near where Aunt Anne sat, "here, just rock him so that he doesn't get fussy again" she said, but Anne looked at her as if she had just suggested that she eat the baby for lunch. The woman shook her head, "I don't do well with babies" she said, another shadow passing over her face. Sarah nodded slowly, blinking. "I see" she said, hoping it wasn't obvious just how little she did.

She left Chase to scream again, and filled a cup with water. She chose a plastic one, figuring that if Anne suddenly decided to throw it at her it would be less painful, and less of a mess to clean up. At this point she wasn't putting much past this old woman, noticing how her brilliantly green eyes, the only truly live thing about her whole body, followed every move Sarah made with thinly veiled distrust. Sarah gently set the cup down next to Aunt Anne, but the woman paid it almost no attention, still watching Sarah, who was beginning to suspect that the woman had come down just to keep an eye on her, to spy on her. The question was, why?

"So" Never in her life had Sarah heard one single word sound more like a challenge. "How much do you baby sit?" By now Sarah had decided that the chance of this being just the beginning of some small talk was about one in a million. "Um, well, this is the only family I sit for, apart from my own little brother, and I'm here about-" she paused, Anne had just leaned forwards, with the first trace of any normal emotion - curiosity- playing across her face. "You have a little brother?" she asked, watching Sarah closely as she nodded, "half-brother" Sarah corrected. Anne nodded, "and how old is he?" "Just three" Sarah said, beginning to get chills from the way that the woman was quizzing her. "And you baby sit him often? You have for a while?" "Uh, yes, sort of. Why?" the woman drew back abruptly, and seemed to be thinking of an answer, when Jessica skipped in, her curls bouncing. "Hey, Sary? Did you bring my dolly?" Sarah noticed that the little girl left a large space between Anne and herself, barely glancing at her old relative.

The dolly spoken of was a toy of Jess's that Sarah had taken home with her last week to fix. "I'm not sure, check my bag, Jessica" Sarah said. Both Sarah and Anne watched as Jessica wandered out of the room, and then turned back to each other. "You interest me Sarah" Anne said calmly, but the look on her face said that Sarah frightened her. "Why?" Sarah asked again. Anne's eyes flicked over Sarah's face, and as ever, Sarah was amazed at what incredibly vivid eyes the woman had, in such a pale face. "Aren't I entitled to be interested in the girl who is caring for my grand-niece and nephew?" But you've as much as said that you don't like children. Sarah thought to herself. She was about to reply, when she heard Jessica returning to the kitchen from behind her. She sighed, and then the sigh turned into a gasp when she caught sight of the expression on Anne's face as she watched Jessica. She looked horrified. Fearing that Jessica might have some how maimed herself while looking for her doll, Sarah leapt out of her chair and whirled around.

At first glance all seemed well. Jessica was completely unharmed, and smiling slightly, oblivious to the fact that her entrance had virtually paralyzed her aunt. But then Sarah's gaze traveled down the little girl's body and reached the object that the little girl was holding, that dangled carelessly from one hand. "Sary? I couldn't find dolly, but maybe you could read to me" Jessica held out the Labyrinth, and as it did a ripple seemed to run across the cover, as if the book was laughing at her.

There was a wheezing sound from behind her, and as Sarah's shocked mind quickly unfroze, she turned back to Aunt Anne to see the woman in the process of sliding off of her chair, her eyes fixed on the book, with a dazedly horrified expression as if she had just seen a relative hit by a car, or watched a beloved pet bleed to death. "Oh my god" the woman gasped, and Sarah was alarmed to see that her face was going even paler, "Oh my god. He's back". And then the woman crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Author's Note: Ha, this is the first time I've ended a chapter on a note like this. Review if you want any more, I have it ready and waiting.

Circe le Fey!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone for all the reviews, sorry this chapter is so short, but I'm posting the next one as soon as I'm done. Check out my newest one-shot, High Queen, if you can. Please review! Circe le Fey

--

Jareth felt Sarah's alarm like a current. One moment he was calmly threatening a few errant goblins, and the next moment he felt fear and shock, so strongly that for a moment he could not think enough to place it. After a moment his head cleared, however, and he was able to conjure a crystal, and search for Sarah. She wasn't at home, he felt, or at that friend's house where his minions had paid a little visit, so instead he switched over to that house with the children, where she also tended to spend her weekends. She was in the kitchen, he saw, staring at something with her eyes wide. There were four people in the kitchen. Sarah, that baby she was watching, and little girl, whatever her name was, who had the book, and at first Jareth thought that was what had Sarah so upset. But the next minute she was leaning over the form of the fourth person, an old lady with silvery hair and pale skin. The moment Jareth's crystal found her, he knew that she was someone he had met before. No doubt about it, she had the same, 'been to the labyrinth' feel that Sarah and Toby shared.

She was very still, but Jareth could feel her heart beating strongly nonetheless. She had simply fainted, it wasn't a serious attack of any kind, but obviously Sarah didn't know that, from the frantic way that she was feeling the woman's pulse, and shaking her. Jareth could see her lips moving, and knew that she was probably talking to herself, a habit she had. The woman remained in a faint, however, and Jareth saw Sarah abruptly grab a phone off of the counter, and press two digits. Her finger was hovering over the second 1, when the woman rolled over, and sat up.

Now that Jareth could see her eyes through his crystal, he had little trouble placing her. "Oh my" he said aloud, surprised but still smirking. "It's (not so) young Annie Evans. How time flies" he tossed the crystal into the air, already wondering how this development would effect Sarah. It all depended upon three things: whether Anne remembered, and would be willing to speak of it, whether Sarah knew, or would guess, or believe Anne, and whether or not Anne still had what he'd given her. Three very wild cards.

And just last night things had seemed so simple.

--

Review!


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Hey, I felt bad about jut posting little chapter 11, so I decided to post this as well. Sorry if there are errors, I'm in a bit of a hurry just now, let me know, and I'll edit them later. I really shouldn't be posting this as I haven't written lately, so you'll have to review for chapter 13. Anyway, please review, Circe le Fey.

--

"Oh my God, oh my God" Sarah kept breathing to herself, as Anne woke up. What do I do now? She thought wildly. She should probably call an ambulance, but she didn't want to cause all that trouble if it wasn't necessary, and considering the circumstances upon which Anne had collapsed, there would be a lot of awkward questions. She put the phone back on the counter without dialing the final 1, and then moved to help Anne into a sitting position. The old woman pulled her hands away from Sarah's as if they had burned her. Already her eyes were regaining a little clarity, and Sarah noticed that the woman was pointedly not looking at Jessica, who was still holding the book.

Anne struggled back into her chair on her own, and took a sip of water, her movements calm and controlled, but for the near-panic Sarah could see in her eyes. Breathing gingerly, as if worried that at any minute the Goblin King might appear, or Anne might collapse again, Sarah returned to her seat opposite Anne. "Are you all right Auntie?" Jessica asked, tucking the book under her arm, "didja fall?" "Yes" the woman said vaguely, still without looking at Jessica.

The response seemed to be good enough for Jessica, or maybe she just was used to not being answered properly by her Aunt. At any rate, she turned back to Sarah. "Sary, I found this book in your bag, I was wondering if-"not now, Jessy, go play for a minute. I need to speak with your auntie" Jessica frowned, but nodded anyway, and was just skipping back off when Sarah called her back. She could feel Anne's eyes burning a hole in her head as she held out her hand to Jessica, for the book, amazed that she wasn't trembling. "I'll just keep this Jess, okay?" she took the book firmly, and then put it on the table in front of her.

Jessica left cheerfully enough, and Chase had, amazingly, fallen asleep throughout all the drama, but Anne seemed on high-alert, and was staring at the book the way some people would a giant cockroach, like she was trying to figure out how to get rid of it, without having to get near it. Anne swallowed, and met Sarah's eyes levelly. "We have a few things to discuss" Sarah said. Anne nodded. "I'll start, shall I?" said Sarah, but then Anne cut in. "What are you doing with it, don't you realize how dangerous that is? Get rid of it." Now Sarah swallowed. "I'm guessing that we are talking about this book, right?" Anne nodded, her eyes glittering slightly. "The Labyrinth" she said, her voice raspy, her expression a mixture of reverence and hatred. Sarah leaned forwards, "you've been there?" she said, and after a moment, Anne nodded. "When?" Sarah breathed. "When I was twelve. Years ago" "how-"we'll get to that later" Anne said, watching her intently, "the question is, Missy, how do you know of it?" Sarah took a deep breath. "Two years ago I wished my little brother away, without meaning to, to the Goblin King. When Jareth came to take him away, I was given the opportunity to run the Labyrinth to get him back. I made it with a few seconds to spare" Sarah shut her eyes, still remembering what it had been like to watch the clock ticking, while she tried to remember the final phrase."I got him back." With a start, she opened her eyes, realizing that this was the first time that she had ever even said this out loud. "Since then I've tried to get rid of the book, but I think that the goblins must keep bringing it back to me, or something, because I just can't get rid of it." Anne was watching her with her eyes wide, but for the first time there was nothing negative directed towards Sarah. Just lots of sadness.

Anne nodded. "I knew that minute that I saw you that you'd been there. I could tell, who knows how. But you got him back. You got your brother back" she shut her eyes softly, shaking her head. She stayed there, just sitting with her eyes shut, for so long that Sarah started to worry. "Anne? Are you all right" Anne opened her eyes, as softly as she had shut. "No, not particularly. But there isn't anything you can do about that. I'm just going to go have a lie down now." she stood wearily to her feet, holding up her hand when Sarah moved to help her. "No, no, stay where you are, it looks like this little one is waking" she said, gesturing to Chase, but still keeping her distance from him. "We'll talk later" she said, as Sarah picked up the baby, and moved to follow her. "I'm too tired. Fainting like that isn't good for me. Just keep that book away from Jessica" she added over her shoulder, as she made her way down the hall.

Sarah watched her go, making sure she was alright, but when the old lady was finally out of sight, she leaned against the wall, hitting her head with a mixture of frustration and relief, while she automatically rocked Chase. Gods, she thought, staring at the ceiling. Is it completely impossible for anything to be normal, to be simple? She did her best to ignore the little voice in her head, that said that mysterious, and possibly dangerous was better than normal, simple, and boring.

--

Review, or Chapter 13 will never see the light of day! Figuratively speaking

Circe le Fey!


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Hey guys, I hope you like this chapter, it's one of my longest. I've also just started a new Labyrinth fanfiction called The Goblin Girl, it's about Sarah and Jareth's daughter, Rhia, and a teenage boy who wishes his little sibling away. I'm quite excited about it, but I do want to say that it's not supposed to be a sequel to this story, as I've always envisioned this Sarah living long and happily, while the Sarah in the Goblin Girl died young. The plot is going to move a bit faster than in this story, so you might want to check it out. Chapter 14 should be out soon, although since school is starting up again, and I have this new fic, plus all my writing at home, it might not be out til Friday.

Also, a note to LadyVampyre666: Jareth will be coming along, I promise, I just need a little time to develop my plot, and work out how exactly I'm goig to write him, I'm afraid Jareth doesn't come to me nearly as easily as Sarah. This story is going to earn it's classification as a romance!

Please, please review!

--

Chapter 13

"Oh Chase, hush" Sarah groaned as she tied the plastic bag that she had wrapped around the Labyrinth in a double knot, and then stowed it deep inside her duffel bag. It had been several hours since Sarah and Anne's talk, and Sarah was dying of impatience. She wanted desperately to talk to Anne about everything, and the old lady had been in a dead sleep ever since she had gone upstairs. And now the Evans' had just telephoned, saying that they were on their way home, and for the first time, Sarah wished that they would just stay out late for a while. Even worse now, she was beginning to get the urge to talk to her old friends. Well, some one who knew about the labyrinth, and as telling Pat about it wasn't an option, that left only the ones that she had convinced herself it was best to live without. The only good thing she could think of right now was that she was feeling much better than she had been earlier. She was still tired- exhausted really, but the headache, the vertigo and the sensitive eyes had all pretty much cleared up.

Sarah zipped up the bag, and then stowed it on the very top most shelf of the Evans' closet, crossing her fingers that she wouldn't forget it. Chase was fussing, and as she shifted him to her other hip, Sarah could remember exactly why she had hated babysitting so much when Irene had first made her do it. At that moment she felt a vibration in her pocket. She had set her phone on vibrate, so that it wouldn't wake anyone up. That being said, both of the children that were supposed to be napping were being fussy instead, and the only one that was sleeping was the person Sarah wanted desperately to talk to. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the id. It was Irene, and Sarah rolled her eyes at Chase, who was slowly turning an even darker shade of red. "I swear, she's got a sensor. The minute she gets vibrations that it would be a really bad time, she picks up the phone and gives me a ring". Chase sobbed even harder, and Sarah sighed as she flipped her phone open.

"Hello?" "Sarah?" who else? "Yes Irene?" "Oh, that is you? Is some one crying in the background?" "sadly, yes. Is there something I can do for you?" "Well, not exactly, I was just calling about your ride home, but if things are a little tense right now, I could call back later" Sarah winced as from in the living room, Jessica cranked up her cartoons even louder. Best to get this over with. "Oh, no, everything's fine". "Well, your father's been detained, and won't be able to stop by, and since you haven't got your bike, I thought maybe Toby and I should pick you up".

Well, the Toby half of that was just fine, Sarah thought, but she only accepted a ride from Irene if the alternative amounted to death, destruction, or yet another family feud, and hopefully she'd be able to escape this one without any of the three. "Oh, no, that's okay, I was thinking I'd drop by Pat's on the way home anyway. See if she's home" that was a flat out lie, but what Irene wouldn't be able to prove wouldn't hurt anyone. Hopefully.

"Really?" for whatever reason that seemed to have perked Irene's interest. Sarah braced herself. "You know what that sounds like, Sarah?" no, actually. "It sounds like what I used to tell my mother, when I had a young man picking me up instead" Sarah shut her eyes briefly with horror. Irene just didn't give up. "Well, firstly, you're not my mother, and secondly, I can assure you that if I had someone picking me up, you would be the first to know. The news would probably thrill you twice as much as it ever could me." "Sarah?" her tone had switched to disapproving. "Are you being smart with me?" Sarah sighed. With the Goblin King potentially back in the picture, and Toby very possibly falling under his spell a second time, she could not afford to alienate her family. If Irene counted as family. "No, I'm sorry, I'm just a bit tired. I'd love to talk as soon as I get home, but right now, things are a bit busy, and I want to make sure that I'm paying attention, and being responsible" two key phrases when talking to Irene. A few more were 'down to earth' 'thinking hard' and 'being serious'. "Oh, all right then" it may not be quite as good as Sarah having a date, but there was no denying the power of paying attention and being responsible. The telephone conversation ended with peace on both sides, at least as far as Irene was aware.

Sarah had barely stowed the telephone back in her pocket, and gotten Jessica to turn down the television, when she heard the Evans's car pulling into the driveway. "Oh Lord" she sighed. The one day that she wasn't ready to leave, they had to come back exactly on time. She heard the key turning in the lock, and Mrs. Evans came in, towing her husband with her. "Hello Sarah" she said, smiling. Her face fell a little bit when she took in the shrieking Chase. "He's usually asleep at this hour" she said, glancing at her watch, and then back at Sarah, as if wondering if the girl had done anything to him. "He's a bit cranky today" Sarah conceded, handing the baby over to Mrs. Evans, who made a brief attempt to calm him, and then handed him to her husband.

"And Jessica is in there" Mrs. Evans glanced over Sarah's head, into the living room. "Where's Aunt Anne?" "Upstairs" Sarah said, "asleep" she could barely keep the impatience off of her face. "Ah, did she seem alright today?" Sarah debated how best to answer that one. "A bit tired" she finally said. It was true. Mrs. Evans nodded, and then reached into her pocket and handed her several bills. "And you? You're feeling better?" "Yes, fine" "and you have a ride home?" "Yes" Sarah lied, "but actually, there was something that I wanted to ask you" Mrs. Evans glanced curiously at her as Sarah followed her into the kitchen. "Ask me what?" "About Anne, I mean, how exactly is she related to you?" "Well" Mrs. Evans paused to test the temperature of a baby bottle. "She's not actually related to me, but she is my late mother-in-law's sister. We all have the same name because Jason never knew his father, so he has his mother's maiden name. Evans" "I see" Sarah said. The mention of a sibling was what she was hoping for. "Was she older, or younger than her sister?" Mrs. Evans frowned. "Older, I think, by a year or so. Why?" "Oh, just curious." but Sarah could tell from the expression on Mrs. Evans face that unless she wanted these questions to be reported to Irene the minute that she left, she would need to think of a more plausible excuse.

"I'm writing an essay" she said, "on people from different generations, and everything that they used to have to go through, taking care of younger siblings, and sick parents, and working, and losing family members, and Anne just seemed like some one who had gone through some of that stuff" Mrs. Evans looked at her. "Well, you're very perceptive. Actually, there was a lot of that going on, from what my mother- in-law used to tell me. Anne was the oldest of four, and then there was Jason's mother, and then another girl, and then the youngest, who was just a little boy." she sighed. "That was so tragic, that was" Sarah felt like a bloodhound, who had just smelled something slightly off.

"What happened?" she asked. Mrs. Evans frowned. "I'm not completely certain, to be honest. Jason's mother never was very clear about the whole thing, she was only eleven, and Anne must not have been much older than thirteen or fourteen when he vanished." Sarah felt like she was going to die of curiosity. "Vanished?" she asked. Mrs. Evans shook her head vaguely. "Or died, or something. Catherine, Jason's mother, always just referred to it as him being 'gone'. She never really specified whether he died, or was taken away, or what happened." "But was Anne watching him when it happened?" Sarah asked. Mrs. Evans smiled slightly. "Yes, you've guessed again. That was the worst part. Besides the little boy, of course. Apparently they were all home alone, and Anne neglected him or something, wasn't watching him, and something happened. Apparently she never really got over the guilt, and neither of the other two girls really forgave her. I didn't even meet her until Catherine's funeral, she walked there all on her own, and introduced herself, and even then, June, the youngest sister, wouldn't even look at her. But June lives out in Arizona, with her family, and as the house that Anne was renting was just sold, we thought it would be nice if she came to stay with us for a while, and the children could get to know her a little. Since neither Jason nor I have any siblings, Anne is one of their closest relations. But she doesn't seem very comfortable around them. She's had a very difficult life"

And with that, Mrs. Evans went off on a long list of all of the things that had happened to Anne, from trips to mental hospitals to marriages that had gone bad, apparently under the impression that she was helping Sarah with her essay. Sarah let the words flow, nodding and looking terribly pitying when appropriate, but all the while theories were forming in the back of her mind.

Finally, Mrs. Evans was about to prepare dinner, and Sarah realized that she was going to be late. By this point she probably could have called her father, and asked him to pick her up, but then it would mean going through a long drill with Irene over why she was there so late, and no matter how well she explained it, Irene would probably still be left with the impression that she had been stood up by the shadowy 'young man' that was supposed to drive her home. Sarah pulled a jacket out of her duffel bag, as it was getting just a little chilly, and she was still dressed in a very tiny pair of shorts and top, which she now regretted. Sarah also made sure that the Labyrinth was still in her duffel bag when she left, God forbid she left it behind, and Anne happened to find it during a midnight trip to the bathroom or something, she'd probably die right on the spot.

Sarah had barely gone a half a block, when her phone rang. At that point she was expecting it to be Irene, all in a panic because she wasn't back, but instead of the usual coldly polite 'Sarah?' the moment she put her phone to her ear, a voice all but shouted, "Sarah! You never said goodbye!" Sarah rolled her eyes slightly, but she was still glad that it was Pat and not Irene, even though she was going to get drilled either way. "You shouldn't start a conversation like that, Pat, what if my dad had answered instead?" "You're one to be lecturing" came her friend's voice, "why didn't you say goodbye to me? I thought that your stepmother's mission was to give you manners" "yes, well, we all know that she's failed miserably" Sarah muttered, as Patricia continued. "And after I was such a good friend, taking you, and your baby brother in, practically in the middle of the night, without asking for an explanation. Well, much of one, anyway. And you even used my make-up without asking. I know it was you because of the mess you made." her tone was whiny, but Sarah had spent enough time around Patricia to know that she was teasing. When Pat got really, steaming mad, she didn't whine, she yelled, and sometimes even threw things. "Don't make it sound so dramatic Pat. I was just a little on edge about being home with just Toby for half the night. Speaking of which, I happen to be walking home right now, much later than I told Irene I would be, and I could really use to get off of the phone and walk". "Or what? You might crash? No, Miss Sarah Williams. You sit yourself down and tell me exactly what was going on. Or else. . ."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but as she was passing the park, and there was a bench right next to her, so she sat, throwing herself down tiredly, and then tucking up her feet. "All right, I'm sitting. Right in the park by the way, at dusk, in case the police ask any questions when they find my cold, mutilated body tomorrow. You can tell them that you were the one who told me to stop traveling towards the safety of my home, and linger in the park." "Now who's being dramatic?" Patricia scoffed, "besides, I'd hardly call your step mother 'safety' especially when she's mad as hell, which she will be by the time you get home" Sarah rolled her eyes, "right, now what did you want to ask? I'd like to get his over with before Jack the Ripper comes calling".

She evaded Pat's questions as best she could, doing her best to tell the truth without bringing anything supernatural into the picture. She had a feeling that Irene might be calling while she was on the phone, but as she didn't have call waiting, this was actually a very good excuse, 'I was on the phone with Pat and didn't realize how late it was getting. . . so sorry, won't do it again'. Anyway, she had to get this call over with sooner or later, and it was better to have it while her father and Irene were out of earshot.

With her friends warm voice reaching out to her over the phone, and while she was busy thinking up good excuses, she didn't pay much attention as the sky got darker, and over her head, a familiar white shape perched in a nearby tree, staring at her with an expression that was beyond the capabilities of any ordinary owl.

--

If you want more, you know what to do!

Circe le Fey!!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Hey! Sorry about the late update, my computer went completely haywire, just in time for the first week of school, and then I got sick. But now we're both doing better, and I'm feeling freshly inspired, probably because I haven't written in ages, so the updates should be pretty quick, provided school work doesn't get in the way. Please Review!!

Circe le Fey

--

Chapter 14

"I still get the feeling that you're hiding something" Patricia said, and Sarah sighed. "Listen Pat, I'm doing the best that I can, okay? Things are a bit tense at the moment, the Evans have a seriously disturbed old lady staying with them, Irene has been taking all of my stuff to give to Toby, even some things that I would really rather she didn't, and on top of that J- this guy is back in the picture" Sarah hoped that Pat wouldn't notice how she had almost said a name. "And it's really late" she added, glancing around her. It was so dark now that if it weren't for the nearly full-moon, and how well she knew this park, she would have been completely lost. The wind blew slightly, and Sarah shivered. "Well, okay" Patricia's voice crackled slightly, and Sarah had a feeling that her phone was running out of charge. "We'll talk later" she promised, looking around uneasily before flipping her phone shut, and looking up at the moon. The lighting was seriously eerie now, and as she stood up, a memory hit her, and she almost fell backwards.

_She was hungry and tired, and it was dusky, almost dark out. But as unfamiliar, and threatening as her surroundings were, there was something so glorious about it. The small lights, from bugs or flowers, or something even stranger, that glinted from behind dark places. The trees, stunted and old, so old that you could practically taste the memories that they bore. The smells, like right before a powerful thunderstorm, when the wind whips your breath away, and you can small the water and electricity on the air. And also something older, sweeter, like opening a chest in the attic, and finding it full of old things, ripe with a long forgotten perfume that had once lulled you to sleep.__And there was the music. She couldn't hear it, and yet she could, and every time that she looked around to place it, it was gone, and yet the moment that she was thinking of other things, it would come again, drowning everything out with it's haunting melody. And in the distance, there was the castle. Something about it gave her the feeling that she was being watched. Something about it told her that _he_ was near._

Sarah stumbled back against the bench, shaking slightly, her head pounding. At first it took her a moment to place it, something about it felt so much like a memory from early childhood, like something that had been with her for a long while, that it was startling to remember that it had occurred only two years before. In the Labyrinth, she remembered, right before Hoggle had given her the peach, that had caused the dream, that had changed her way of looking at the Goblin King forever. But everything in the labyrinth had done that.

Almost panting, Sarah straightened up, putting a hand to her head, which was still spinning. Why had that memory hit her so forcefully, so suddenly? It had come to her before in dreams, but never while she was awake like this. And it had been so real. Suddenly she had been fifteen and back in the labyrinth again. Suddenly she had been magical again.

Sarah clawed her hand down her forehead, pressed on the bridge of her nose, and tried to let her breathing return to normal. The trouble with those moments, which were usually in her dreams, was that she always woke up with a deep yearning to have a chance to be in the Labyrinth again, with a chance to taste magic and freedom, and uncertainty and adventure. Sarah sighed. There had to be something seriously wrong with her. The labyrinth was not her friend. The labyrinth was no one's friend. It was Jareth's pet, and had been the terror that had stood between her and her baby brother for one terrible, unnerving, but exhilarating night. Or day, or however that was measured in the underground.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the Castle, beyond the goblin city, to. . ." abruptly Sarah's voice died. The last time that she had allowed herself to speak those words aloud, she had been in front of Jareth himself. But why shouldn't she say them? They had been what had saved both her and Toby after all. "To take back the child that you have stolen" Sarah straightened up, noticing as she spoke that she didn't even have to try to remember the words. It had been two years since she had last spoken them, and yet they came to her as even easier than they had before her adventure in the Labyrinth, when she had gone around spouting them all the time. "For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great" She whirled to face a stand of trees, speaking loudly because the park was empty. "You have no power over me!" she stood for a moment, triumphant at having finally spoke the words again, when there was a movement in one of the top branches.

Sarah felt a thrill of something unidentifiable as she caught sight of a figure, shifting slightly as it's white feathers gleamed in the moonlight. 'Uh-oh' a voice in the back of her mind whispered, while at the same time, another side of her was quickly trying to rationalize why a giant white owl like no other was staring directly at her like she was a giant mouse, or something. Maybe it thought she had food for it, or something. Right. "Shoo." Sarah had meant it to come out frightening, but instead it was more frightened. "Stop watching me" her voce dropped to a whisper. "I mean it. Leave" The owl shifted again, looking undecided, and then took flight. For a moment, Sarah felt victorious, until it started flying towards her. And then her heart nearly stopped. It flew directly towards her for a moment, and she felt close to panic, but just as it was a little over a yard from her, and she shut her eyes, it vanished. She opened her eyes, and then before she knew what she was doing, she was running. She took off out of the park, and down the street, cutting across a street without even looking, so fast that one car screeched to a halt less than a foot from her, and she lost her flip-flops racing across a slippery lawn, under the sprinklers. She scraped her leg scrambling over a stone wall, and then raced across a lit porch, ignoring the faces that appeared at the window, staring at her.

She was running so fast, and so mindlessly, that she almost passed her house. At the last moment, she stopped, turned, and started up the walk. Halfway to the door, she tripped, and gashed the side of her leg. In an instant, she was ready to jump up again, but then, thought returned, and it occurred to her what she must look like, so she stopped instead, leaning over the walk, gripping her leg, which was bleeding, the liquid dripping down to her bare feet. "Sarah" she looked up as Irene appeared on the front porch, looking very angry, until she caught a better look of Sarah, crouching on the walk, bleeding, and drenched from those sprinklers. For a moment she looked aghast, and then, almost frightened. "Sarah? God, what happened?" Sarah was still trying to get her breathing back to normal, and didn't look up, but she saw her step-mother's high heels cross over to her, and then, unexpectedly, Irene crouched next to her on the side walk. "Are you all right? Did something happen? Robert!" He appeared on the porch, holding Toby on his hip.

Meanwhile, Sarah was trying to figure out how she could explain herself out of this one. "Sarah?" Irene helped her to her feet, and now, catching sight of her step-mother's eyes, Sarah was almost amazed to see that her step-mother looked horribly worried. "What happened to you?" Sarah was tempted to relate some horrific tale, just to see what Irene would say, but that was nearly as bad as telling the truth, so instead she decided for something more believable. "I was on the phone with Pat for a while, and stopped at the park to talk" she said, thinking fast. "And I'd just hung up when this guy started coming towards me. So I started to take off, and he ran after me." "And-" Irene prompted, "I got away, but I'm drenched from a sprinkler, and I cut myself. But I'm okay" She was unexpectedly cheered by the expression of fear on both her father, and Irene's face. She glanced at Toby, who was staring at her, with his eyes big, serious and knowing. Too serious and knowing for a boy his age.

Sarah turned away, and limped her way into the house, where Irene cleaned her knee and gave her something to eat, though she could barely force herself to swallow, and her father debated calling the police. Sarah talked him out of that one by saying that she didn't even know what the 'guy' had looked like. And then by the time they had both established that she was okay, the scolding began.

"Honestly, Sarah, I know that you're still a child, but however naive you might be, what did you expect, dressing like that?" she gestured to the small shorts and tiny top that Sarah had thrown on that morning. "And where are your things?" for the first time Sarah noticed that she had left her things back in the park. She sighed. "I must have left them at the Evans'" Irene shook her head disapprovingly. But thankfully, after a few more minutes, they let her go up to shower and go to bed. Sarah decided to skip the shower, she was so exhausted, but she found herself in the bathroom, anyway, gazing at her reflection on the mirror on the back of the door. She had never seen herself quite like this before, she certainly didn't usually dress this skimpily, and her hair was damp and waving loosely around her face, which was extremely pale. She shook her head at herself, and then went back into her room, ready to chill out, and go to sleep. But instead, she stopped stock still, staring at her room. The light was on, and her covers turned down, as if some nice mother or relative (not Irene) was waiting for her. But worst of all, at the foot of her bed, was the duffel bag that she had left in the park.

It took Sarah a half an hour to finally calm down and turn of the lights, slipping under her covers gingerly. As she did, she could smell a sweet old scent, mixed with something newer, fresher, like coming rain, or lightning.

But it took her even longer to shut her eyes, because every time she did, all she could picture was an owl, an owl that could not be just an owl, because, and even in her sleep, the thought caused her to swallow, it had mismatched eyes.

"_Sarah, my love, I can't wait much longer. And neither can you . . ."_

Review!!


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Well, here it is, and a big thanks to everyone who reviewed! I've been thinking, I had this whole long plot line, but now I'm starting to miss Jareth as well, so I think I might trim it down a little, so we can get to everyone's favorite Goblin King faster! Bear with me. Meanwhile, please review!!

Let me know if there are any errors,

Circe le Fey

--

Chapter 15

Considering her surreal weekend, the next five days were surprisingly normal, which only managed to enhance the creepiness of the whole ordeal. For the entire week, Sarah was creeping around the house, expecting to find Jareth waiting for her behind every corner. But the house was perfectly silent. Suspiciously silent. Almost as if he was. . . plotting. Between dance class, art class, writing for the school newspaper, and going out for coffee with Patricia, who had sensed her depression, and was trying to cheer her up, Sarah didn't have time to pay another visit to the Evans'. And her dreams were perhaps the most peaceful they had been since she had gotten out of the labyrinth. Even the book was incredibly well behaved. Every night when she got home, it was exactly where she had left it that morning. It was almost as if the Goblin King had abandoned her.

If Sarah had been less busy, and had half a day for a deeper search of her feelings, she would have sensed his presence, just as strongly as ever, though more complexly hidden, behind a new face. Toby was now the Goblin King's prime interest, as long as Sarah remained the fortress that she had proved to be, Toby was his only chance, a sort of secret passage to Sarah. And Toby would be most effective if Sarah was unaware of his slow conversion. So, Jareth was lying low for a while.

All Friday, Sarah couldn't think of anything but the next morning, and Anne. All through Algebra, which she never paid much attention to anyway, she spent the class scribbling all of the possible scenarios that could result in Anne knowing about the Labyrinth. Just at the end of class, as the bell rang, and her teacher sauntered over, and inquired if she thought that she was in English, Sarah caught sight of an owl, doing something she had never seen an owl do before. Mid flight, it paused, cocked it's head, peered in the window, and met her eyes very briefly, before it kept flying. "Uh-oh" Sarah thought. "Here it goes. Jareth simply can't stand the thought of me having a relaxing weekend." and with that thought, she was off, running out on her math teacher mid-lecture, and pushing her way through the crowded halls. At the last minute, just as she was running down the front steps, she heard Patricia calling her. She had forgotten that her friend had witnessed that display in math. Usually they sat together, but Patricia had gotten there late, and wound up sitting at the back of class. Groaning, Sarah braced herself for more questions.

But to her surprise, Patricia was in a hurry as well. "Come on, don't just stand there" her friend squealed, pulling her by the hand, "don't you want to see it?" "See what?" Sarah asked. Patricia rolled her eyes, "oh, come on, as if you didn't dart out of that room just to see it." rolling her eyes on the blank expression on Sarah's face, she smiled, "the owl, duh. I never knew you were such a bird watcher. Come on" and with that, she pulled Sarah, who was feeling rather limp, along behind her. "Don't slow down now girl, come on! It'll be gone!" Sarah sighed, but sped up to keep pace with her friend. If Jareth wanted to see them, he would be there, and if he didn't, then there was no way that they would be seeing him. He was like that.

Sure enough, when they got there, there was absolutely no sign of him. "Awww" Patricia seemed truly disappointed. "Damn." she said "I really wanted to get a better look, that owl was gorgeous" Sarah just rolled her eyes, hoping that Jareth wasn't listening. No need to give his ego a steroid or two. "I wonder where she went" Patricia continued, craning her neck around a bush. Sarah, who had been yawning, nearly choked. "She?" Sarah exclaimed. "Yeah. She sure was pretty" Patricia said, throwing her head back to scan the sky. Sarah stifled a laugh, and revoked her earlier wish, now she really hoped that Jareth was listening. Patricia had always objected to how people tended to refer to everything as a 'he', unless proven otherwise, so with her, it was the opposite. Everything was a 'she', sometimes even after there was proof otherwise.

After they had poked around enough to satisfy Patricia that the owl wasn't hanging around nearby, the two girls went back to Sarah's house. They watched television together, and talked about the boy in English who had been watching Patricia all the time. But all the while, Sarah felt eager, and anxious. She was grateful to have something to do for the evening, but more than that she just wanted to go to bed quickly so that the morning would come even quicker. But Pat's mom was out late, recording, and didn't come by to pick her up until it was almost midnight, and both of the girls had drifted off to sleep in front of the TV.

Sarah accompanied Patricia out to her mother's car, sleepy and barefoot, chilled by the light rain that had just begun falling. The wet leaves stuck to her feet, and her eyes widened slightly, as a fork of lightening speared through a nearby cloud, illuminating the side of the house, while Patricia and her mother waited for Sarah to go back inside. But Sarah couldn't move, she could have sworn, as the lightning came, that she had seen a shape slip inside Toby's window. A part of her was rationalizing that it wasn't possible, that such things simply didn't happen, that there was no way, that her brother's window wasn't even opened, that Irene would never allow it. But the other, stronger part of her was whispering 'stranger things have happened. . . to me'. And before Sarah knew it, she was across the driveway, and inside the house, racing up the stairs, her steps muffled strangely, as every second seemed to slide by. A part of her was very afraid that she would come upstairs to discover that Toby was gone, and that there was nothing she would be able to do about it. As she ran in his room, she grabbed for the light switch, but in her haste, missed it entirely. And then she was beside his bed, staring down, a fist grabbing at her heart, when in the dark, she couldn't tell if he was there.

And then a sudden noise made her look up. Only the barest foot from her, there was a shape darker than the rest of the room, much taller than her. And for a moment, Sarah couldn't think. There was only room in her mind for two emotions, fear and a certain awe. For a moment, just a moment, he was there, and the only sound was her heavy breathing. Then, as Pat's car pulled out, a beam of light from the headlights sliced across the room, and Sarah felt the light fall across her face. Instinctively, her eyes shut for just a second, and when they opened, the figure in front of her was gone. She blinked for just a moment, and then turned quickly to her brother's bed, reached down, and felt for him.

Toby was there, her hand brushed off of his nose, and finally settled on his chin. She held her hand there for a moment, almost afraid to believe it, and then quickly darted back to the light switch and flicked it on. Toby was fast asleep, angelic and adorable, his sheets knotted around his legs. Sarah glanced around the rest of the room. The window was shut tight, the curtains closed, the room was perfectly in order. Maybe it was just her imagination. But as she turned, a sparkle caught her eyes. She glanced quickly down at the sleeping Toby, and saw, glittering in his blond hair, and on his forehead, just the faintest sparkling, almost like glitter dust, similar to what sometimes was on Jareth's clothing, face and hair. She shook her head, not believing it, and then even as she watched, it slowly vanished.

She sat with him, ready to go through all the night by his side, but abruptly Irene came in, skin cream on her face, and a bathrobe round her waist. "Something wrong?" she inquired. Sarah shook her head, a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She longed to tell Irene the truth, even if she was Irene, but that simply wasn't an option. She was alone in this. Completely alone. "No," she said, surprised at how low her voice was, "just checking on him".

She pressed her lips to his forehead, and then stood up and moved, feeling a strange combination of insomnia and exhaustion. "Everything is just fine" she murmured to herself, but at the same time, her hands were forming fists.

She desperately needed to talk to Anne.

--

Please review!! The next chapter has lots of Anne, and should be out by the end of the week, it would be sooner, but. . . school work.

Circe le Fey


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Here we are! Thanks to everyone for the reviews! I just wrote this chapter today, and the next one should be out around Thursday or Friday. Oh, and for those of you who might be interested, I've just become a Beta Reader, so if you have something you'd like me to Beta Read, message me! Please review everyone, it will definitely speed things up!!

--

The Evans' yard was at it's most peaceful as Sarah rode over the following morning, her mind in chaos. As it was, she felt almost guilty about disturbing the normal tranquility that surrounded the house. But it was just an illusion, she reminded herself. So long as the house harbored Anne, there could be nothing normal about it. Anne was a link to the Underground, just as Sarah was, you could practically see the Labyrinth magic in her eyes. Anyway, if Sarah was to keep the Goblin King's paws off of Toby, off of herself, she needed allies. This time, no matter where Anne hid, Sarah was not leaving with out answers.

But Anne did not hide. The minute that the Evans' had left, and Sarah walked into the house, holding a dozing Chase, she caught sight of Anne, standing on the stairway, looking rather the worse for wear, but not quite so frightened. And, strangely enough, she actually seemed almost pleased to see Sarah. "Hello" she said quietly, almost shyly. But she didn't draw away as Sarah walked past her into the kitchen, her heart in her throat now. What if Anne refused to explain? But Anne seemed to be in a talking mood, following Sarah into the kitchen, sitting down at the table, and clearing her throat.

Sarah sat down opposite her, still cradling Chase, and met Anne's green eyes. For a moment they both paused, and then Anne smiled slightly. "How was your week?" she said slowly, as if not sure what else to say. Sarah let out a very deep breath, and gave a brief laugh. "Don't ask" she said, and then leaned eagerly forwards. "But, Anne, I had a few things that I want, need, to ask." Anne didn't say anything, but she nodded, and Sarah plowed on. "How do _you_ know of the Labyrinth?" Anne sighed. "The same way as you" she said, but she looked down. "Only I didn't make it. . . not in time" Sarah stared at her. She had expected this, but still. . . "You lost your brother" she whispered, involuntarily glancing down at the sleeping Chase, and picturing Toby. No one said anything for a moment.

"I was alone, with three little ones," Anne said, and her eyes had never been as far away as they were now. "They were all fighting, screaming, and I was with them for hours. All I wanted to do was go off and read. But I couldn't. And I just got so frustrated. . . I didn't even know those were the right words. It just happened." Sarah shut her eyes, remembering a scenario, so similar. . . "The Goblin King came" Sarah said, opening her eyes. There was one more thing that she had to ask, but she wasn't quite sure how to. Anne nodded, "yes, he came". "What did he say?" Sarah asked. "He told me to give up, that my brother was gone, that there was no hope, that I would never make it. He was right, of course. And he offered me a crystal" "your dreams" Sarah whispered.

"Of course, I didn't accept." Anne continued "My little sisters were there, both of them, crying and confused. I hadn't meant it, I loved my little brother, I loved them all. So I went with the Goblin King". Anne stopped, looking down at the table, and her eyes were so guilty that Sarah looked away. For the first time she realized just what it would have been to loose Toby to the Goblin King. It was nightmarish enough to loose a sibling, but to know for the rest of your life that you were the one who had wished him away? "My sisters never forgave me" Anne continued, "and I never forgave myself".

"But it wasn't just your fault" Sarah said, "what about Jareth? no one should punish children for speaking words they don't mean". Anne blinked at her, "Jareth?" she asked. Sarah paused, "The Goblin King?". Anne cocked her head. "Oh, I never knew his name" she said, and then shook her head, " But I can't blame it on him" Anne continued. "I said the words, I lost sight of my love for my brother, and spoke them. The Goblin King- Jareth, did you say?- does what he does. But it wasn't his job to protect my brother, it was mine. He didn't fail, I did."

Sarah stared, "You make it sound as if he is perfectly innocent" she said. Anne shook her head, "no, I doubt that. What I mean is that, wherever he came from, however he got there, we don't know that he chose to be there, we don't know that he loves what he does. I do know that I loved my brother, and that I lost him. I have to live with myself, I know that what I did was wrong. I know nothing of the Goblin King". Sarah stared at Anne, more shocked at this than at anything else Anne had told her that day. "Things are not always as they seem" Sarah whispered, and across the table, Anne nodded.

Everything was silent for a few moments, and then Sarah looked up. "Anne? While you were in the Labyrinth, did Jareth, the Goblin King, show you any. . . interest?" Anne looked up at Sarah, confused. "Interest?" she said and Sarah hastened to explain, "well, did he, um, act like he, liked you, I mean, ask you to stay?". Anne appeared to be completely bewildered, "ask me to stay where?" she asked, "in the oubliette?". Sarah shook her head, "no, I mean, never mind" well, that seemed to be her answer. Ever since the Goblin Ball, Sarah had been wondering if that was his tactic with every girl who went through the Labyrinth. If so, he must not have used with Anne.

Since Anne still looked a little confused, Sarah changed the conversation to another topic that had been on her mind, "Anne? Do you suppose. . ." she paused, not quite sure how to phrase this one either. Slowly, Sarah started again, "Do you suppose that it's possible for someone to be cruel, and generous at the same time?" Anne looked at her as if she knew who Sarah was referring to. "Of course" she said softly, "almost everyone in the world is a little cruel, adn a little generous". Sarah nodded, and then, in her pocket, her cell phone rang. It was another friend of hers, a girl name Leah, who lived right down the road, but went to a different school. Sarah felt like letting her phone ring, but seeing the exhausted expression on Anne's face, she took the call, and Anne retreated back upstairs.

Sarah didn't see Anne again until after the Evans came home. Jessica and Chase were upstairs with their parents when, unexpectedly, Anne came downstairs to say goodbye to Sarah. They clasped hands briefly, and Sarah was just starting down the steps, when something occured to her. She turned back around, and gazed through the screen door at Anne. "Anne? When you lost the Labyrinth, what did Jareth give you?" Anne paused, and Sarah saw a shadow pass over her face, before the woman's deep green eyes met hers. "Maybe, sometime, I'll show you" the old woman said.

Outwardly, the ride home was peaceful. In Sarah's mind, there was everything but peace, and she felt extremely confused. On one hand, Anne had told her a story that had brought back her fury and dislike towards Jareth flooding back. On the other hand, Anne had also made it sound as if she didn't blame the Goblin King, or at least not as much as she blamed herself. That had never occurred to Sarah, she had always blamed Jareth first, and then herself.

Her father and Irene seemed to sense her exhaustion, and let her go up to her room immediately after dinner. Sarah flicked on the light switch quickly, and glanced around. Everything seemed fine, and the Labyrinth was where she had left it, so she tossed her bag onto her desk, shut the door and locked it behind her. She pulled down her shades, kicked off her shoes, and ran a hand distractedly through her hair.

She sat at her desk for a few minutes, staring at her wall, and thinking. Finally, she turned, and pulled open one of the drawers, rummaging through old birthday cards, jewelry with broken clasps, and poems that hadn't turned out quite right. After a moment, when she still hadn't found it, she pulled out all the papers in the drawer, and set them on the table. She was searching for one small slip of paper, that had been in the drawer since the day after she went through the Labyrinth. When Sarah finally caught sight of it, she shoved all of the other papers aside, ignoring the few that fluttered to the ground.

It was just a small sheet of lined paper, that had been torn off of a small notepad, and at the top were the words, 'Lessons of the Labyrinth'. Sarah licked her lips slightly, remembering how confused she had been the weeks right after the Labyrinth. This list had been an attempt to straighten everything out. But somehow, she remembered, it had only served to bewilder her more.

With a sigh, Sarah caught sigh of the first item: 'Be careful what you wish for'. How true.

And then there was:

'Use the right words'

'Friends are important'

'No, it's not fair'

'Things are not always what they seem'

Sarah gazed at the list for a moment, as she remembered doing after writing it. Somehow, she remembered, it hadn't seemed quite complete, so she had added one last item. Slowly, Sarah's gaze traveled down the bottom of the page, where she had uncertainly added, 'People can be both good and bad'. And then, scrawled at the very bottom, 'Generous and cruel'.

Sarah went to bed very confused that night.

--

Review, review!! The next chapter will be out by the end of the week!

Circe le Fey


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: Hey, I know this is disgracefully short, but I'm hoping to post the next chapter tommorrow. There is a bit of a twist coming up, so hang in there. Let me know if there are any errors, and review!

Circe le Fey

--

The next day Sarah rode over to the Evans' hoping to have another chance to speak to Anne, but instead, she was informed by Mrs. Evans that Anne was at a doctor's appointment, and afterwards would probably be looking for a house of her own. Sarah couldn't help but feel incredibly disappointed. She and Anne may not be very close, but they were still bound by mutual association to the Labyrinth. She was Sarah's only proof that she was not crazy, that she had made the right choice, that she didn't belong in a mental ward, or, even worse, in the Underground.

Her babysitting session was uneventful. Sarah did homework, Jessica colored, and Chase napped. Sarah went home without seeing Anne again, and Irene was actually reasonably nice to her. It was just the two of them, Sarah's father was out, and Toby was up in his bedroom, napping, he had been a little bit strange lately, and Irene was convinced that he was coming down with a cold. Sarah helped make pizza, and they watched TV in the living room later.

It was actually a pleasant day, one of the best that Sarah had had lately. But it felt falsely peaceful, sort of like the Labyrinth. As far as you could tell, you were simply walking down a stone path, but really, there were eyes, all over the place, watching you from under your feet, above you, behind corners, or through a crystal, into deep places inside of you that you didn't understand, and couldn't control. That was how Sarah felt, now.

And she was being watched. Jareth stood at the top of the stairs, where he could see the side of her face, as the light from the TV flashed over it. It was reckless, and probably a bad idea, but he didn't want to leave yet. He still hadn't seen what he wanted. He hadn't seen her eyes. Jareth hadn't looked in her eyes since she had gazed straight into his, and told him that he had no power over her. But that was changing now. The tides were changing, and Sarah knew it.

--

Review!

Circe le Fey


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: My grandfather got horribly, horribly sick, and I had to fly across the country to go see him. He's much better now though, so here is the next chapter. A huge, huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please let me know if there are any errors. Please review!!

--

On her way back from Pat's house, Sarah stopped by the park. It was close to 7, and small children swarmed all over the play scape, but Sarah walked briskly past them, and stopped near the pond, reaching down to grab a few small flowers that were growing along the edge. Silently, with practiced movements, Sarah wove them into her hair, the way she had when she was a fairy in the school play, years ago. Above Sarah's head, a few clouds drifted over the sun, and she gazed up at the sky, in a few hours she would be in bed, early since it was a school night, while the Goblin King roamed freely between this world and the underground, doing whatever he did. With a sigh, Sarah reached down and grabbed a small flat rock, and tossed it into the pond, watching it sink to the bottom, with a faint sound.

A moment later, a car raced down the street behind Sarah, screeching hideously, and she jumped, "jerk" she muttered, glancing at her watch. It was seven, her father and Irene had some dinner party to go to, and they expected her home to babysit. With another sigh, Sarah reached up to pull the flowers out of her hair, but after a moment, she gave up on the tangles, just hoping that her stepmother wouldn't notice. Irene wasn't big on plants.

But when Sarah finally made it home, thankfully only a few minutes late, Irene was intent on something else. "Sarah, do you think that you could babysit as soon as you get out of school tomorrow?" she asked as Sarah slipped in the front door. So much for a 'hello' Sarah thought, but she just shrugged instead, "Toby? Sure". Irene shook her head, "no, not Toby, the Evans' little ones. They have a funeral to go to tomorrow, and I told them that I would watch Jessica and Chase until you got out of school." Absentmindedly, Sarah found herself reaching up for the flowers in her hair, her fingers curling against her neck. "I guess, if they really need me to" "good. Oh, by the way, you left two pairs of your shoes by the door this morning. I put them on the landing, go put them in your closet" Sarah didn't say anything, just started upstairs, and was leaning down to pick up the shoes when something occurred to her.

She turned around abruptly, and leaned over the banister. "Irene?" her stepmother looked up at her, "you said they had a funeral to go to. . ." Irene's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot, you remember that old lady they had staying with them?" she said, as Sarah felt her throat go dry, "well, she passed away yesterday, after all that time they'd taken finding her a place to live. Such a shame" Sarah pivoted on the stairs, momentarily feeling as if she could faint, the hand in her hair digging into her scalp, her nails scraping against her skin.

Down below her, Irene was still prattling on about what a shame everything was, completely oblivious to her step daughter's shock, not even noticing as Sarah kept walking up the stairs, nearly tripping over the shoes. "Oh, and Sarah, what on earth do you have in your hair?" Numbly, Sarah continued upstairs, and dropped onto her bed. "My God, Anne" she whispered, lying back, and pulling the covers over her, even in her dirty street clothes.

Outside her room, Toby wandered by, his eyes dreamy, in much the same way Sarah's had been during her one dance with the Goblin King. The tune he was humming was low and sad, and somehow the voice didn't sound like his at all. Sarah stared blankly at him for a moment, and then buried her head, flowers and all, under her pillow. Events were spiraling out of control.

--

Please review!!

Circe le Fey


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews!! I'm really exhausted, but I wanted to post this, so I'll probably come back and edit tomorrow. Chapter 20 will hopefully be out in about three days. Let me know if you find any errors, and please, please review!! I love hearing from everyone, it lets me know what direction to steer the story in. If I'm capable of steering, sometimes my stories completely take over. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and review!!

--

Sarah arrived at the Evans' house in a dream. Somehow it was so typical of her luck, that the minute she finally found living, breathing proof that the Labyrinth was real, the woman died. Sarah hadn't been exactly attached to Anne, but they had certainly shared a certain bond, sort of like the only two people on Earth that believed in aliens. Or goblins. "Can't someone give me a break?" Sarah muttered, as Chase dissolved into hysterics the moment she entered the Evans' house. "The only wish I've ever had granted was the only one I haven't wanted. I finally meet some one I can confide in, first she hates me, then she dies. Is there anything else that anyone could possibly mess up?"

Irene and Toby had been with Chase and Jessica all day, and Irene was eager to take Toby home and prepare dinner. Sarah finally put Chase down a few minutes after they left, and the Evans' house was relatively quiet, but she still felt unsettled. Anne's death seemed almost like a sign, a warning, a mark of things to come. For a moment she even entertained the possibility that Jareth might have killed Anne, but dismissed it quickly. Jareth might be a bog-happy, arrogant child-snatcher, but she couldn't picture him murdering Anne. That took things simply too far.

The Evans came home hours later, both wearing black, and rather subdued, but certainly not beside themselves with grief. Mrs. Evans pressed an envelope with money into Sarah's hand, and asked her to thank Irene again for her. Sarah rode home in the quiet dusk, glancing over her shoulder every so often. For some reason, she had the feeling that Jareth was watching her closely tonight.

When she arrived home, dinner was over, and she took a rapidly cooling plate of spaghetti up to her room to eat in peace. She was making her way up stairs, the plate balanced carefully in her hands, when Irene called up after her, "Oh, Sarah, I almost forgot, there's a package for you. It's on your bed. I didn't recognize the sender though." She sounded a little suspicious. "Well, I don't know what it is" Sarah called tiredly. "Maybe Pat sent me something, as a joke, or whatever" "maybe" Irene still sounded suspicious, but Sarah ignored her, continuing upstairs.

The package was indeed on her bed, maybe the size of a shoe box, but squarer. Tired, and not in the mood for any surprises, Sarah set her plate down on her desk, and dug in, determined to wait until after she'd eaten and showered to see about the package. Halfway through her meal, though, a sudden shiver ran down her back, and she turned around quickly, staring at the package, which was still on her bed, but for some reason, it no longer looked like just a package. For some reason, she could have sworn that it was watching her. She stared at it, turned back to her spaghetti, and then looked back at the package. Sarah's curiosity got the better of her, and she dropped her fork in her pasta, and turned around, advancing on the box with a pair of scissors.

The package was surprisingly light, but shifted oddly in her hands as she picked it up, as if there was something living within. Sarah glanced at the senders address, but didn't recognize it. Shrugging slightly, Sarah tilted the package and slid the scissors through the tape along the edge, popping a side open, and reaching inside. She pulled out a smaller, dark velvety box, and an envelope. Her name was written on the envelope in thin, light writing, and in the corner, the sender's name. . . Anne Evans. Sarah's jaw dropped, she gasped and choked, sucking in air and coughing slightly. After a moment, she reached with shaking hands and ripped it open. There was a short note within, in the same light, spidery writing, as if who ever was writing it could barely press down on the pen. Sarah licked her dry lips slightly, her eyes wide, and stared down at the note.

Sarah,

I know this will come as a surprise, as I'll probably be dead and buried by the time you get this. I had intended to come back to visit my nephew some time, and show you this, but it doesn't look like that will ever happen. This is what the King gave me when I lost. I would not have passed it on to you, but I don't know how to destroy it, and I couldn't afford to let it fall into the hands of someone who doesn't know. But be very careful, like everything about the Goblin King, there is probably much more to it than meets the eye. It was supposed to be my dreams, but it has been dull and cloudy since he placed it in my hands. I think all my dreams vanished with my brother. I hope it shines far brighter for you.

Goodbye,

Anne Evans

Still in a state of shock, Sarah flipped open the top of the small velvety box, to reveal a perfect sphere of translucent crystal. Without even thinking, Sarah lifted it out of the box, and the moment she touched it, it began to glow, slowly at first, and then radiating spectacularly outwards, illuminating Sarah's awed face, and sparkling off her window pane.

Outside the glowing window, untouched by the light, a large owl perched on her branch, watching as Sarah's face changed from amazement to delight, and she twirled the crystal awkwardly in her hands, her eyes strangely dilated from the light.

--

Review!

Circe le Fey


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: Hey, I know, I was planning to update sooner, but I was a bit unsure about this chapter. We have some very important events coming up, maybe including the appearance (finally!) of everyone's favorite Goblin King. . . Anyway, here it is, thanks to everyone who reviewed, the encouragement is invaluable. Let me know if there are any errors, and please review! Also, a special thanks to LydiaLovegood, I used the quote in her review in this chapter. Enjoy, and review!!

Circe le Fey

--

The crystal was strangely light, and yet, at moments, it seemed almost to move in her grasp, nestling into her palm, a strange warmth beneath it's smooth, cold surface. Sarah held it up close to her face, twirling it slightly, and watching the pinpoints of light dance within it. The incredible glow from when she had first held it had died down to a gentle shine over the past week, but her fascination with it had only increased.

_It is a crystal, nothing more, but if you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams._ It wasn't the one he had offered her, but maybe. . . She twirled the crystal again, a strange smile on her face. _I wonder what the crystal would show me?_ She stared at her reflection, gazing back at her from in the crystal.

And then Sarah frowned, as suddenly, her reflection changed. Her eyes were outlined in make-up, her face was younger. As the view expanded, she almost saw a snapshot of herself, in make-up, a dress, her hair curled and pulled back from her face. . . It was exactly what she had looked like when she danced with the Goblin King, down to every last bead, every trace of eyeliner. As she watched, the reflection's eyes widened, and she slowly began to twirl, her arms held gracefully out to her sides, like the princess on Sarah's old music box.

Sarah, sitting cross-legged on her bed, leaned into the crystal, her eyes fixing on the image of herself, until she had almost forgotten to breathe. "Sarah?" she shut her eyes against the voice. "Sarah?" the voice got closer, "Sarah? Sarah, do you hear me young lady? Don't you have school today?" with a gasp, Sarah opened her eyes and pulled the crystal away from her face, realizing suddenly that the voice belonged to Irene. And her step mother was coming in. Sarah quickly jumped up, the crystal still in her hand, pushed her feet into flip-flops, and grabbed her bag off the back of her chair, slipping the crystal into it just as Irene barged in. "Yes, I was just leaving" Sarah said abruptly, trying to brush past her step mother in the hopes that Irene wouldn't see how breathless and flushed she was. Irene let her go, but watched Sarah suspiciously, with her eyes narrowed.

Once she was outside, and walking to school, Sarah rubbed her eyes, wondering what on earth had happened. Never had an object had as much power over her as that crystal had wielded in that moment. The only time she had ever felt more entranced was when she was in front of the Goblin King himself, as they danced. Of course, it probably had to do with him, Sarah reasoned. But as she absently reached into her bag, her fingers curling around the crystal, she couldn't help but feel that some of it had to do with her, with her own desire to return to those perfect, bewildering, magical moments. The dance when time had stopped, and when, if it had been anyone but the Goblin King, she would have thought that she had fallen in love.

--

Hoggle leaned back, staring up at the sky above the Labyrinth, his round eyes even wider with concern. Today the sky had been the orange color of sunset for the last four hours, dark violet clouds trailing back and forth across the horizon. Hoggle shook his head. The sky had always been extremely vivid, but at least before Sarah had come to the Labyrinth, the sky had usually portrayed the time pretty well. Sunrise at dawn, sunset at dusk. Now, it changed according to Jareth'smoods. And something about the current sky was a little ominous.

Hoggle pivoted slowly towards the castle, which was not far away, as he was very close to the center of the Labyrinth, and could have sworn that he heard a strange voice on the wind. He shook his head. "Give up Jareth" his muttered tiredly. "You know her at least as well as I do. She's not giving up". And then, realizing that he had spoken aloud, he quickly ducked under a nearby archway, to lie low for a while.

--

Tee hee. I just had to put Hoggle in there. He's too adorable, and at this point, I don't know if he'll be coming in again.

Please review!!

Circe le Fey


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: **_I know that it has been eons since I last updated, and most of my readers have probably completely forgotten about this story. I do have a good excuse though: I started college in the fall, and between my determination to maintain a 4.0 average and my new job, life has been pretty crazy. What little time I had for writing I devoted to my original projects, and since I couldn't update regularly I didn't update at all. Anyway, here is the 21st chapter, at long last, and the next one is in the works already. I'll probably be updating roughly once a week from now on. I've included a "previously" just before the chapter starts to refresh everyone's memory. Also, I'd like to thank everyone who is still reading this story! As always, I love reviews and other feedback, but please limit criticism to the constructive variety. If you notice any typos or inconsistencies,_ please_ let me know, I'll fix them immediately. Thanks again for sticking with this story!

Circe le Fey

_**Previously: **_Sarah is seventeen, and babysits for the Evans family on the weekends. A few weeks ago, Mr. Evans' elderly aunt Anne came to visit, and Sarah learned that Anne was also a veteran of the labyrinth, who had wished away her little brother as a child. Anne, however, couldn't beat the labyrinth, and lost her brother to Jareth, who gave her a crystal when she lost. Anne and Sarah talked briefly, and then Anne's visit ended. Shortly afterwards, Anne passed away. Before Anne died she sent Sarah her crystal, afraid of what would happen if someone who didn't know about the Labyrinth got hold of it. Sarah was at first enchanted by the crystal, but now she is growing suspicious. We also met Hoggle for the first time in the last chapter.

_**--**_

"_**She's not giving up. . ." **_ _the words echoed oddly as Sarah rolled over, reaching out in her sleep for something, the nails of one hand scraping against something hard, her other hand closing on nothing. In her dream, a thousand setting suns lined up along the horizon, burning her eyes and her face, as scalding tears dripped down her cheeks. A burning wind pulled her hair, which was curled and ornamented oddly, back from her face, and each tear formed a crystal. And each crystal fell to the ground, rolling along the dry, dusty, red earth, sparkling in the sun until she was nearly blinded from the brilliance of them all._

_And then a gloved hand reached out, and a crystal seemed almost to fly into his hand, dimming as his dark fingers closed around it. And he held it close, smiling at her, stepping towards her. Sarah gasped, wanting to turn away, but if she turned away there were only the suns to look at, she could not close her eyes. And then his shadow was falling over her, as he drew slowly closer, his hand with the crystal reaching toward her face. Her eyes fixed on the crystal and she leaned closer, watching the crystal, entranced by it, leaning into him simply to keep her eyes on it. She didn't realize that she was against him until his arms were around her and they were falling. The world rearranged itself until the suns were lined up on top of each other. She grabbed on to him, simply by reflex, the incredible heat of his skin reaching her even through their clothing. Burning her with something that was not quite pain. And as the world fell down around them, he was still holding her. . ._

"Sarah? Sarah, what's wrong? What's wrong with her?" Sarah sat up, one hand tangled in her hair, the other pressed against the wall with her fingernails scratching the paint. Irene and her father were both leaning over her looking concerned, and now that Sarah seemed alright, a little irritated too. Sarah took a deep breath, and at the same time felt something wet on her face. "Did you pour something on me?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep. Her father shook her head, still watching her closely. "No, you were crying," "sobbing, in fact," Irene put in, "you woke us both up, and probably nearly woke up Toby too."

"Oh, sorry," Sarah muttered, pulling her hand out of her hair and lying back down, more in an attempt to get them to go away than because she felt like going back to sleep. They watched as she shut her eyes and nestled her face into her pillow, trying to act as if she was ready to fall back asleep. Her father leaned down awkwardly and kissed her cheek, and then he and Irene left her room. They shut the door behind them, and Sarah could hear Irene murmuring something about how she probably wouldn't even remember her nightmare in the morning.

The minute that she heard their bed creak as they returned to it, Sarah sat up, rubbing at her eyes and pulling her tangled dark hair out of her face, unable to believe that she had been crying during a dream about the Goblin King. "Jareth. . ." she whispered, and near her side she felt something cold. Shivering slightly, she reached between her sheets, and pulled out the crystal. She could have sworn that she had left it in her desk drawer before she went to sleep, but here it was, shimmering slightly, and abruptly Sarah was very afraid. "You have to go," she muttered to the crystal, and then moved just slightly towards her window, as if to fling it out into her neighbor's yard. Then something crossed her mind, and she remained on her bed. She couldn't just leave it lying around. What had Anne said? Something about it being too dangerous. The last thing Sarah needed was to find out that old Mrs. Thimkins had accidentally wished her husband away. . .

Sarah stood up and began pacing, but quietly, she didn't need to deal with her father and Irene again tonight. In her hand she could feel the crystal tingling, enticing her to loose herself in it as she had been doing so often lately, but she resisted the urge, her fingers tightening around it as if she wanted to crush it. Between her dream, and the way she had awaken to find it rolling around in her bed, she wanted to be rid of it. Normally she would have tried to destroy it, she was in a rather destructive mood, but there was nothing normal about one of Jareth's crystals. Sarah had no idea what would happen if she destroyed one, or even if it was possible to destroy them. So all she could do was hide it, and hope she could forget about it.

But if Sarah's memory was correct, she had stuck the thing in her drawer before she went to bed, and yet it had somehow ended up next to her. That led Sarah to believe one of two things: either Jareth's goblins had moved the crystal, or the blasted thing had moved itself. Either way, she could hide it as well as she liked, and it would still keep turning up. Frustrated, Sarah wandered back to her bed and threw herself down, lying spread eagle with the crystal fisted in one hand. For the past few days, the crystal had felt like a sort of secret gift, a guilty pleasure. She had a crystal, and she hadn't even had to pay the price for it. But now Sarah was beginning to wonder if that was correct. It was one of Jareth's crystals, right? And surely if he hadn't wanted her to have it, it would have vanished before she had even laid eyes on it. It was even more ridiculous to assume that he didn't know she had a crystal. For all she knew, he was using it as a tool in some sort of plan to get Toby back or something. He could even be using it to watch her, she realized, and then quickly thought back, wondering if she had ever gotten undressed in front of it.

The more she thought about it, the more the crystal was beginning to feel like a curse. She was too afraid to break it, too afraid that she might be violating some strange Labyrinth magic with unforeseen consequences. She was too responsible to just hand it off to someone, or toss it into their yard, and she suspected that like the book, the crystal simply wouldn't stay where she put it. By the time Sarah had gone through that several times, looking for a way out that she simply couldn't find, she was close to tears. She took a deep breath and swallowed, holding her emotions in, refusing to cry in front of something that Jareth might very well have been watching her out of. "Well," she told herself, when she was certain that she was under control, "I don't need to deal with this right now. I'll take care of it in the morning," she said decisively, sounding far more confident than she felt. She turned to the crystal, "and I'm putting you-" she stood up and opened her desk drawer, "back in there." She pushed the drawer shut firmly, and then locked it for good measure. "And who knows? Maybe you'll still be there when I wake up." Knowing that was probably more than she could reasonably hope for, Sarah lay back down on the bed, a shiver running up her spine as she slipped under the covers and readjusted her pillows.

It took her a few minutes to fall asleep, the memory of that strange dream she'd had was enough to make her never want to sleep again. She was certain that the man in her dream had been Jareth, although the details were already fading quickly from her consciousness. She stared up at the ceiling, trying not to let her anxiety suffocate her, and then suddenly she was dreaming about a kitten she'd had when she was little. The tabby had disappeared just a few weeks before her sixth birthday, so it was a sad dream, but there were no crystals, goblins, or labyrinths, so it was a vast improvement over her first dream.

--

The next morning began less than perfectly. Sarah's eyes had barely opened before she caught sight of something in her peripheral vision that was glinting in the sunlight. Already resigned, she rolled over to see the crystal perched on top of her bedside table. Something about its position was almost mocking, and before she was even properly awake, Sarah found herself wishing that she could just go back to bed. But it was a school morning, which meant that Irene would be breathing down her neck at any moment.

Sarah pulled herself out of bed, moving as slowly as an old lady as she pulled on her bathrobe, and chose an outfit for the day. Resolutely ignoring the crystal, Sarah went to take a shower, hoping that maybe some kind of inspiration would strike her under the hot water. Nothing came, but she did come to the conclusion that she didn't trust the crystal enough to leave it home alone. However the crystal moved around(and Sarah suspected that, like the book, it had goblin help) it wouldn't do so in her presence. So the solution seemed to be to carry the stupid thing around with her. It would make it nearly impossible for her to think about anything _but_ the labyrinth, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about what mischief it was causing at home, alone with Toby and Irene.

By the time Sarah had toweled off and brushed her hair, she had very little time to get to school on time. Vaguely, it occurred to Sarah that she hadn't done the history assignment that was due today, and that the essay she had to turn in for English was only half complete. It seemed unfair that on top of everything else she was going through, she had to deal with school too. It would be a miracle if she passed anything at all this semester. In spite of how late it was, Sarah took a few minutes to put on make-up. Her face had the set, brittle look that betrayed a person on the edge, and if Sarah didn't do _something_ to soften her expression, everyone would know that something was wrong.

When she returned to her room, she was pleased to see the crystal was still where it had been when she left. She had already decided how she was going to carry it around. It was too big for her pockets, so she pulled a small beaded shoulder bag out of her closet and pushed the crystal inside of it. It fit just well enough for her to be able to zip the bag shut, and she did so with a certain satisfaction. If the goblins wanted to sneak off with it they were going to have to snatch the bag right off of her, and they were generally more subtle than that. Odd as it sounded to think of a goblin as subtle, when Jareth ordered it, it seemed that they could be.

Downstairs, Irene was less snappish than usual, she even asked Sarah once or twice if she was alright. It took Sarah half of breakfast to remember why. It wasn't because of the way she looked, it was because of what had happened last night. Sarah remembered everything that had happened with the crystal, but the weird dream episode that her father and step-mother had woken her up from had slipped her mind. The memory of the dream itself was extremely hazy, apart from a few vivid images of crystals, everything else seemed to have leaked from her brain in the middle of the night. Sarah shrugged, that was how dreams worked. Considering it had doubtlessly involved the labyrinth, she should count herself lucky she couldn't remember any of the details.

Sarah swallowed the last of her eggs and kissed Toby goodbye, pecking him on the top of his head since his face was smeared with food. She gave her father and Irene a quick wave, and then darted out of the front door before her father could ask her his customary post-breakfast question: have you done your homework? She didn't have the heart to do any more lying or keep any more secrets than was absolutely necessary. As Sarah started down the front steps, her hand slipped down to her small shoulder bag and her fingers dug into the material, curling around the hard shape of the crystal. Unconsciously, Sarah sighed with relief. It was still there. The solution was hardly optimal, but it was effective.

--

Oddly enough, considering it should have been only a few hours after dawn, the sun was setting. Not seeming to set, as it had been known to do for hours, but honestly sinking below the horizon. What worried Hoggle was that it wasn't a defeated sort of sunset, but more of a triumphant I-shall-rise-again- and-greater-than-before sort of sunset. Hoggle shuddered, wondering what Jareth's triumph meant for Sarah. Hoggle was beginning to think of Jareth and Sarah's confrontation at the end of the labyrinth as the beginning of the battle instead of the end. Just because they weren't face to face didn't mean that Jareth wasn't wreaking havoc aboveground, and though it had been at least two years since Sarah had last set foot in the labyrinth, everyone could still feel her presence there.

Hoggle could feel that it was Sarah's sun that was setting, and he could only hope she was being careful.

--

Thanks for reading!

Circe le Fey


End file.
